7 research outputs found
Socio-Economic Characteristics and Level of Awareness and Perception on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Programme (REDD+) by Rural Communities in Akure Forest Reserve, Nigeria
Rural communities around Akure forest reserve depend mostly on forest and its products for their livelihoods, which results in its high rate of deforestation. Meanwhile, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation programme (REDD+), one of the international forest-governance initiatives to address sustainable forest anagement and climate change mitigation has been introduced to the reserve. This research investigated the socio-economic status of the communities in Akure forest reserve, level of dependence on the forest resources and their level of awareness and perception about the REDD+ project. Six communities were selected randomly from around the reserve which were in the readiness phase of the REDD+ project. Data were collected through household survey with the use of semi-structured questionnaire administered to 120 respondents (household heads) selected randomly from the communities as well as information from 6 key informants (village heads). Descriptive Statistics and Chi Square test were used in the analysis of the data and the result showed that the main income-generating activity in the communities was farming accounting for 70.8% of the respondents. This affirms that the high level of the households’ dependence on forest resources is traceable to their socio-economic characteristics. Considering the level of awareness of REDD+ project, results revealed that the level of awareness of the key informants about REDD+ was very high (83.3%) while it was very low at the local community level with only 35% of the respondents being aware of the REDD+ project among which 23.3% found it beneficial. Therefore, to enhance the level of effectiveness of REDD+ project implementation, there should be an increase in the level of awareness in the communities.
Keywords: Forest Communities, Awareness, REDD+ Project, Rural livelihood, Deforestatio
Socio-Economic Characteristics and Level of Awareness and Perception on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Programme (REDD+) by Rural Communities in Akure Forest Reserve, Nigeria
Rural communities around Akure forest reserve depend mostly on forest
and its products for their livelihoods, which results in its high rate
of deforestation. Meanwhile, the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and forest Degradation programme (REDD+), one of the international
forest-governance initiatives to address sustainable forest management
and climate change mitigation has been introduced to the reserve. This
research investigated the socio-economic status of the communities in
Akure forest reserve, level of dependence on the forest resources and
their level of awareness and perception about the REDD+ project. Six
communities were selected randomly from around the reserve which were
in the readiness phase of the REDD+ project. Data were collected
through household survey with the use of semi-structured questionnaire
administered to 120 respondents (household heads) selected randomly
from the communities as well as information from 6 key informants
(village heads). Descriptive Statistics and Chi Square test were used
in the analysis of the data and the result showed that the main
income-generating activity in the communities was farming accounting
for 70.8% of the respondents. This affirms that the high level of the
households\u2019 dependence on forest resources is traceable to their
socio-economic characteristics. Considering the level of awareness of
REDD+ project, results revealed that the level of awareness of the key
informants about REDD+ was very high (83.3%) while it was very low at
the local community level with only 35% of the respondents being aware
of the REDD+ project among which 23.3% found it beneficial. Therefore,
to enhance the level of effectiveness of REDD+ project implementation,
there should be an increase in the level of awareness in the
communities
Socio-Economic Importance of Tree Nursery Enterprises in Lagos State, Nigeria
There is a growing interest to understand the role of tree nursery
enterprises in Nigeria and the horn of Africa. Tree nursery
enterprises, which are vital economic activities in major cities of
Nigeria and particularly in the city of Lagos are not adequately
studied and well documented. Therefore, this study seeks to fill a gap
in understanding the socioeconomic importance and profitability
potential of tree nursery enterprises. Multistage sampling technique
with a 3-stage design was adopted in this study using aquantitative
data collection techniques through the use of structured questionnaire
administered to 120 nursery entrepreneurs. Data were analyzed using
descriptive, inferential, and budgetary analysis. The result revealed
that tree nursery entrepreneurs are literate, mostly male in their
youthful age. Furthermore, the total annual revenue earned by the
respondents was \u20a61,712,222.22 with a mean annual net income of
\u20a61,458,038.72 while the return per naira invested was
\u20a65.71. This shows that tree nursery enterprise is profitable in
the study area. However, most entrepreneurs were faced with shortage of
land for establishments of tree nursery in the study area. Therefore,
appropriate actions in reducing cost of land lease/purchase are
recommended to encourage new entrepreneurs and strengthen the
sector\u2019s development
Sero-survey of rubella IgM antibodies among children in Jos, Nigeria
Sero-survey of rubella IgM antibodies was carried out among children aged 0-10 years in Jos, Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from the subjects and sera extracted. Of the 93(100%) assayed for the rubella IgM antibody, 42(45.2%) were seropositive for rubella IgM antibody while 51(54.8%) were seronegative. A breakdown of the seropositive subjects reveals that 14(15.1%) of the infected children were males while 28(30.1%) were females. Those subjects within the age groups of 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 years had the highest prevalence of 8(8.6%) followed by those within the age groups of 7-8, 9-10 years with 7(7.5%). Blood transfusion as a risk factor did not show any significant influence on the status of the subjects. The demographic data of the mothers of the subjects were also linked with the seropositivity of the children