1. Forest income and dependency in
XIII World Forestry Congress, Buenos Aires
PEN Side Event
Forest income and dependency in
Guangxi Province, China
19th – October
Nick Hogarth

2. Research questions Overarching research question:
What is the role & relationship of forests & forest products in household &
village level economies in Tianlin County?
What is the absolute & relative contribution of forest resources to household & village-level economies?
Who are the most forest-dependent and why?
How do current policies affect forest use and livelihoods?

3. Study area – Tianlin County
Climate: Subtropical-monsoonal
Topography:
Low mountains, narrow river valleys
Demographics:
- ~250,000 (90% rural, ~3/4 ethnic minority)
43 people per km2, 4.2 people per hh
~11% annual growth
5,170 km2
1. Location:
shares its borders with Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in the northwest of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. Part of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, being located about 150km north of the border with Vietnam. The ‘Backwaters’ of China
Size
At 5,170 km2, Tianlin is the largest county in terms of land area in the province.
Climate:
subtropical-monsoonal with hot-wet summers and cool-dry winters (seasonal flooding and droughts are common).
topography
characterized by low mountains (345 – 863m altitude) and narrow river valleys
Demographics
240,000 people composed mostly of 73.5% ethnic minority groups: Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Yi (the balance are ethnic Han).
Relatively low population density at 46 people per km2 compared to the provincial average of 207 per km2
very little urbanisation, with 90% rural.
Most villages in remote upland areas with poor access roads, lack of or under-performing health and education facilities, limited, low-yielding arable land, and weak extension services.
Economy
- relatively rich in agricultural and forestry resources, with good soils compared to many surrounding counties.
- recognized as being one of the nation’s 592 ‘State Designated Poor Counties’ ~30% below China’s poverty line (the equivalent to $0.57 per person per day in 2005 PPP dollars compared to WB $1.25 per day in 2005 PPP dollars; is low compared to international standards
Economy
Rich agricultural (53%) &
forestry (32%) resources
State Designated Poor County
24ºN, 106ºE

4. Tianlin County land-use
Forest Zone:
sub-tropical broadleaf forest,
~ 45% is timber plantations,
• 40% is natural (‘protection’) forest, very little primary forest
• 15% is ‘economical forest’ (which includes tea-oil, palm oil, star anise, cinnamon, chestnut, walnut and fruit orchards)
Forest-related production the dominant land use (~ 81% of the total land area), only about 17% cropland.

5. Field-work & sampling plan
Data collection (PEN surveys) conducted throughout 2007
240 households from 12 natural villages, in 3 townships
1) Due to isolation, marginalisation & other factors, still low market integration, minimal off farm income opportunities, low cash income. strong reliance on forestry and agricultural activities because given their set of geographic, biophysical and social circumstances these are the best options.
2) Why are cultivated NTFPs the dominant forest products?
- national gov. policies limiting access to natural forests & therefore potential income (Natural Forest Protection Program)
- heavy fees, taxes, cutting permits, quotas, transport permits, & strict marketing controls discourage investment by small-holder farmers in forestry
- Time & capital investment requirements discourage small-holder timber harvesting
- Gov. & private investment promoting the bamboo industry
3) Other issues
- Program for the Conversion of Cropland into Forest; increasing natural & economic forest land area should lead to increasing importance of forest income in the future
Off-farm & migrant labour, Global financial crises
food security; increasing food costs, scarcity of arable land, tension between forest protection, reforestation and increased demand for agricultural land

6. Results: Income shares by source
Average annual income per person (n = 1128)
* Total (cash + subs) = 4’018RMB, i.e. $US545 (Dec 2007)
* Cash income = ~65%, i.e. $US373 (Dec 2007)
i.e. $US1.02 per day
* Subs income = ~35%, i.e. $US172 (Dec 2007)
~25%
subsistence
~9%
Average annual income per person (n = 1128)
* Total (cash & subs) 4’018RMB
i.e. $US545 as of Dec 2007
* Cash income 2’748RMB (68%)
i.e. $US373 as of Dec 2007
i.e. $US1.02 per day
* Subs income 1267RMB (32%)
i.e. $US172 as of Dec 2007

7. Results: Absolute & relative forest income
absolute value of forest income is positively correlated with increased income i.e. Q1 has the lowest absolute value and Q5 has the highest.
Forest dependency:
However the share of forest income is negatively correlated with income; i.e. as income increases the forest income share decreases. i.e. people in the lowest income quintile are most dependent on forest resources

8. Cultivated NTFP’s are the dominant forest products
Definitions?
Absolute value of direct and derived forest products summed for all villages

9. Results: Forest products not seasonal gap fillers
Winter
Summer
Spring
Autumn
Forest products not seasonal gap filler; because they have little access to timber (NFPP) and the dominant cultivated NTFP’s pretty much follow the same cycles of harvesting as agricultural crops

10. Main findings Forest-related income is very important (>25%)
Forest-related cash income is most important source (~18%)
Lowest income quintile most dependent on forest-related income (i.e. highest % forest income)
Cultivated NTFPs most important; natural forest related income very low
Forest products not seasonal gap filler

11. Some discussion 1) Why is forestry and agriculture income dominant?
2) Why are cultivated NTFPs the dominant forest products?
- National government policies
Excessive taxes & bureaucracy,
Time & capital investment
Government & private investment in the sector
3) Other issues
Program for the Conversion of Cropland into Forest
Off-farm & migrant labour
Food security
1) Due to isolation, marginalisation & other factors, still low market integration, minimal off farm income opportunities, low cash income. strong reliance on forestry and agricultural activities because given their set of geographic, biophysical and social circumstances these are the best options.
2) Why are cultivated NTFPs the dominant forest products?
- national gov. policies limiting access to natural forests & therefore potential income (Natural Forest Protection Program)
- heavy fees, taxes, cutting permits, quotas, transport permits, & strict marketing controls discourage investment by small-holder farmers in forestry
- Time & capital investment requirements discourage small-holder timber harvesting
- Gov. & private investment promoting the bamboo industry
3) Other issues
- Program for the Conversion of Cropland into Forest; increasing natural & economic forest land area should lead to increasing importance of forest income in the future
Off-farm & migrant labour, Global financial crises
food security; increasing food costs, scarcity of arable land, tension between forest protection, reforestation and increased demand for agricultural land

12. Acknowledgements
Thank you,
any questions?