Socio-Economic Importance of Fuelwood Production in Gambari Forest Reserve Area, Oyo State, Nigeria

Fuelwood apart from meeting domestic energy need of the people around forest areas provide a means of livelihood as a source of income. The socio-economic analysis of fuelwood collectors in Oyo State, Nigeria, was investigated with a view to determine its potentials and impact on the income of the rural communities in Gambari forest reserve area. Data for the study were obtained from a total sample of 119 randomly selected respondents through interviews schedules, application of structured questionnaires and personal observations. Descriptive statistical tools such as frequencies, percentages and tables were used to analyze variables of interest such as age, gender, family size, education, income and type of enterprise. Cash analyses were made to determine the profitability of the enterprise. Multiple regressions were also employed to find out the relationship between income generated from fuelwood and some selected socioeconomic factors (independent variables).Result showed that the industry is profitable with an average Gross margin of N82, 130.00 and Net return of N81, 055.00. There was a positive and strong relationship between income generated from fuelwood sales and the gender, family size, level of education and amount paid to labour; with coefficient of determination (R2=0.67556). A negative relationship was noted between income generated from fuelwood sales and amount paid to government. The study indicated that income generated from fuelwood sales within the period of study increased with increasing number of households, level of education and amount paid to labourers with little revenue generation into the State treasury. Uncontrolled collection of fuelwood leads to the destruction of forest resources. It therefore recommended that the state forestry department should educate the collectors on the importance of rational exploitation, tree planting, and the value of maintaining the existing trees on their farm plots. Fuelwood will continue to be indispensible for a variety of local industries and craft: restaurants, bakeries, curing tobacco, brick burning and barbecue, to name few.Keywords: Non-timber forest products, fuelwood, economic assessment, livelihoodJournal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) Vol. 11, No. 1, 201

Production of Table Wine from Processed Tea Bags Using Different Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Wine samples were produced from locally available tea infusions (Lipton tea, Top tea and Highland tea) using baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae By1) and yeast cultures from pineapple (S. cerevisiae Py6) and cocoa (S. cerevisiae CY43). Physicochemical analyses and microbial evaluation were undertaken during fermentation. Lipton tea wine produced,using baker’s yeast, pineapple yeast and cocoa yeast had highest alcoholic contents of 7.88%, 6.25% and 7.20%, respectively. Top tea wine produced using the same set of yeasts had highest alcoholic contents of 9.78%, 5.43 and 8.15% respectively, while Highland tea wine produced highest alcoholic contents of 9.78%, 7.07% and 7.61% respectively.  Physicochemical analyses for all the wines produced showed that the specific gravity, total solids and pH of the must decreased as fermentation progressed while the titratable acidity remained constant throughout the must fermentation. Colony counts showed a high biomass of yeast cells that decreased as it tended towards the end of fermentation. Sensory analysis of the wines showed that Lipton and Top tea are the most acceptable organoleptically when compared with the commercial wine used as control although the three tested teas were not significantly different statistically. Baker’s yeast was rated as the best yeast for wine fermentation irrespective of the type of tea used. All the wines produced were generally accepted as they were scored above average. This study highlights the potential of using different tea infusions as alternatives to grape and other fruit musts in wine making. It also confirms that commercial yeasts such as baker’s yeast can be used in homemade wine production.Keywords: Wine production, Table wine, beverage, tea bags, Saccharomyces cerevisiae