Assessment of the contribution of Non Timber Forest Products to the improvement of local people’s livelihood in Kinigi sector, Musanze District, Rwanda

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) to the improvement of livelihood of local communities in Kinigi Sector in Musanze District, Northern Province of Rwanda. This study was conducted from August, 2011 to February, 2012. The problem related to the use of Non Timber Forest Products in this area was that their contribution to the improvement of local communities’ livelihood has been ignored or undervalued. Data were collected by conducting a survey through a semi- structured questionnaire. Purposive, simple random, stratified and proportionate allocation sampling methods were used to collect data from 67 households. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 16 where Friedman test and descriptive statistical methods were applied. The results showed that all respondents have the knowledge about NTFPs and they all use wood as a source of cooking energy. Only 44.8 % use bamboo stems to make chairs whereas 43.3 % of respondents benefit from beekeeping while 34.3 % harvest medicinal plants used in traditional medicine. Money  earned from NTFPs is used to buy food, to purchase agriculture inputs, to get access to medical services, to get school fees, to buy clothes and then to build the houses. People living in Kinigi Sector know the importance and values of Non Timber Forest Products such as the provision of traditional human and veterinary medicine, honey, energy and artcraft. Local communities should be grouped into cooperatives in order to get the bank loan for enhancing the domestication of medicinal plants, planting bamboo and boosting beekeeping activity.

Keywords: Non Timber Forest Products, livelihood, people, Kinigi, Rwanda