Folaranmi Dapo Babalola
@unilorin.edu.ng
Associate Professor, Forest Socio-Economics,
Dept of Forest Resources Mgt
University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
Harold L.W. Chisale, Paxie W. Chirwa, Judith Francesca Mangani Kamoto, and Folaranmi D. Babalola
Elsevier BV
Harold L.W. Chisale, Paxie W. Chirwa, and Folaranmi D. Babalola
Informa UK Limited
Opeyemi Adeyemi, Paxie W. Chirwa, and Folaranmi Dapo Babalola
Elsevier BV
T. C. Senganimalunje, P. W. Chirwa, and F. D. Babalola
Informa UK Limited
ABSTRACT Forests are important natural capital for forest-adjacent communities and play an important role in dealing with risks and shocks. The study therefore examined the roles of forests in rural livelihoods in Dedza district eastern Malawi with focus on basic needs and assets, shocks and coping strategies. The findings showed that efforts were made by the co-management program in the study area to increase the livelihood capitals of the people, but the extent could not be ascertained. There were gaps in meeting basic needs of the households with forest products playing an insignificant role in both livelihood and coping strategies. The forest mainly supports subsistence needs with negligible contribution toward provision of safety net and as a pathway out of poverty. The main livelihood strategies were farm based, wage based and diversified. The prominent shocks that the households faced were serious crop failure and serious illness. Casual work, sale of agricultural products and reducing consumption constituted the prominent coping strategies of the people. The study further showed that land-holding size and age are the main determinants of livelihood diversification. Longitudinal data collection is, therefore, recommended to investigate further the nature of contribution of forests to livelihood diversification at household level.
Harold L. W. Chisale, Paxie W. Chirwa, Folaranmi D. Babalola, and Samuel O. M. Manda
MDPI AG
The emerging risks and impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on forest ecosystems present significant threats to forest-based livelihoods. Understanding climate change and its consequences on forests and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities could support forest-based strategies for responding to climate change. Using perception-based assessment principles, we assessed the effects of climate change and extreme weather events on forests and forest-based livelihood among the forest-dependent communities around the Mchinji and Phirilongwe Forest Reserves in the Mchinji and Mangochi districts in Malawi. Content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The impact of erratic rainfall, high temperatures, strong winds, flooding, and droughts was investigated using logistic regression models. The respondents perceived increasing erratic rainfall, high temperatures, strong winds, flooding, and droughts as key extreme climate events in their locality. These results varied significantly between the study sites (p < 0.05). Erratic rainfall was perceived to pose extended effects on access to the forest in both Phirilongwe in Mangochi (43%) and Mchinji (61%). Climate change was found to be associated with reduced availability of firewood, thatch grasses, fruits and food, vegetables, mushrooms, and medicinal plants (p < 0.05). Erratic rainfall and high temperatures were more likely perceived to cause reduced availability of essential forest products, and increased flooding and strong winds were less likely attributed to any effect on forest product availability. The study concludes that climate change and extreme weather events can affect the access and availability of forest products for livelihoods. Locally based approaches such as forest products domestication are recommended to address threats to climate-sensitive forest-based livelihoods.
Opeyemi Adeyemi, Paxie W Chirwa, Folaranmi Dapo Babalola, and Pasicha Chaikaew
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
O. Arabomen, P.W. Chirwa, and F.D. Babalola
International Society of Arboriculture
As global populations become increasingly urban, public participation has emerged as a new and more direct initiative for the conservation of urban trees and ecosystem services (ES). However, little effort has been made to understand the willingness of residents to participate in conservation programs for trees and ES in Benin City, Nigeria. To fill this gap, a survey to understand residents’ knowledge of ES and their perceptions around ES conservation, i.e., personal willingness to participate in voluntary conservation initiatives (VCIs), was conducted. Unlike the general misconception that trees are not appreciated in African cities, this study showed that most residents had a positive appreciation for the ES provided by urban trees in Benin City. Additionally, irrespective of respondents’ demographics, the findings from this study indicated a growing importance of the ES that trees provide, such as regulation of excess heat, scenic beauty, flooding and erosion control, and provision of shade. Hence, willingness to participate in VCIs was related to the growing importance of ES in the study area. Respondents’ knowledge of ES, education, and years of residency increased the probability of an individual’s participation in VCIs in the city. Other sociodemographic factors commonly related to urban forest participation (e.g., gender, marital status, income, profession, and residential location) did not significantly influence the willingness to participate in the conservation programs. Findings from this seminal study could assist future planning and emphasize to city developers, government (at all levels), resource managers, and decision makers the need to consider public values and perceptions towards enhancing conservation initiatives for urban trees in Benin City.
Chidiebere Ofoegbu, P. W. Chirwa, J. Francis, and F. D. Babalola
Informa UK Limited
Community-based forest management is a key climate change adaptation initiative in South Africa. It is aimed at enhancing the sustainability of rural household livelihoods and livelihood resilience against climate variability and change. However, lack of capacity at local household level could negate the intended benefits of community-based participatory forest management initiatives. This paper examines the local-level forest use and management capacity of rural households in Vhembe district of South Africa with respect to their adaptation strategy to climate change using the concept of livelihood resilience. A stratified proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 366 households from the study area, which were then sampled through a household questionnaire survey. The results showed that households’ capacity to participate in, and community leadership ability to mobilize people for participatory forest management was low. Nevertheless, the results revealed a widespread aspiration in the study communities to take part in forest management and development initiatives. This calls for the need for significant technical support for households and community leaders towards promoting participatory forest management as a way of ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of forest-based adaptation interventions.
O.J. Arabomen, P.W. Chirwa, and F.D. Babalola
Commonwealth Forestry Association
Economic valuation of environmental services has emerged as a new and more direct argument and incentive for protection of trees and sustenance of environmental quality. This study's aim was to estimate the monetary value for conservation of urban trees and environmental services in Benin City, Nigeria. A Contingent Valuation Method involving a survey of 350 residents was adopted for the study. Flooding and erosion control, scenic beauty, provision of shade and regulation of local temperature received positive rankings and high scores. Thus, an average of US$1.20/month, which yielded an aggregate value of US$1 200 000 to US$1 860 00, was the amount Benin City residents were willing to contribute towards the conservation of trees. This study identified profession, years of residency and indigenous knowledge of ES as significant predictors that can influence willingness-to-pay. The findings provided quantitative data to demonstrate the importance of conserving trees to town planners, forest managers, policy makers and the urban community.
Ratsodo Phillip Tshidzumba, Paxie W Chirwa, and Folaranmi D Babalola
National Inquiry Services Center (NISC)
One of the dominant challenges facing the South African forestry sector is the issue of land restitution. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess the perception of beneficiaries of benefit-sharing modalities for forest-based land reform initiatives in their locality. A random sampling technique selected 140 and 175 households in Amabomvini and Cata communities in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces, respectively. The household beneficiaries showed a lack of knowledge of the criteria used for the disbursement of the benefits. In addition, over 70.0% of household beneficiaries in Amabomvini, compared with far less than 70.0% in Cata, preferred using rental income for infrastructure development in their respective communities. The results further showed that the relationship between the responses of the respondents from both Amabomvini and Cata communities regarding their perception on the existence of the criteria established to share the benefits, was statistically significant (χ2 = 34.452, df = 4, p < 0.005). However, a lack of transparency, trust and greed were among the factors that household beneficiaries identified as the root causes to the poor benefit-sharing mechanisms. Therefore, it is recommended that there should be political will and commitment from government in order to ensure the development and strengthening of existing benefit- sharing policies for the improvement of livelihoods of the land beneficiaries.
R.P. Tshidzumba, P.W. Chirwa, and F.D. Babalola
Commonwealth Forestry Association
SUMMARY Land reform in South Africa, like in other developing countries with a history of land grab and people's displacement, is an issue of serious contestation. The study therefore assessed the accrual of benefits to claimant communities from the two forest-based public-private partnership (PPP) land reform models (Sales and Leaseback, and Community Managed Enterprise). A random sampling technique was used to select 140 and 175 households in Amabomvini and Cata communities in Kwazulu Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces, respectively. Ordinal logistic regression, descriptive analysis, including frequencies and Chi-square were computed to process the data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (Version 20). From the results, the socioeconomic status of Cata household beneficiaries improved compared to that of Amabomvini after the implementation of forest-based PPP land reform models. Both communities were concerned about non-implementation of post-settlement support by the government upon settlement of their land claims. Tailor-made leadership and business management training should be designed for the CPA committee members and trustees in order to achieve mutual distribution of benefits to all beneficiaries
Chidiebere Ofoegbu, Paxie W Chirwa, Joseph Francis, and Folarannmi D Babalola
National Inquiry Services Center (NISC)
In most African countries, forest-based climate change intervention initiatives such as nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) and national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs) are widely accepted. This is mainly due to the fact that they are relevant in addressing multiple challenges associated with rural development, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and sustainable forest management. However, there are concerns about the implications of strategic and practical steps taken in this context on forest-dependent communities. Thus, there is need to reconcile local socio-economic vulnerabilities and forest-based climate change intervention initiatives. In the current study, socio-economic factors influencing households’ dependence on forest resources and associated implications on climate change interventions were investigated. Proportionate stratified random sampling was used to select 366 households from forest-based rural communities in Vhembe District of South Africa. A structured questionnaire was administered to household heads in 21 villages. The Pearson’s chi-square test was used to analyse the factors that influence household dependence on forest. The effects of household socio-economic characteristics on households’ forest dependence influencing factor were determined using the binary logit model. Up to 97% of the respondents depended on the forest resources predominantly because of low costs associated with using them. It was observed that socio-economic characteristics of households such as farm husbandry skills, years of residence (53–65) in the community and age of respondents (≤38–65) significantly (P < 0.05) influenced use of the forest resources. Thus, effectiveness and sustainability of forest-based climate change intervention initiatives can be promoted if the socio-economic conditions prevailing within households in areas next to forests are improved.
Folaranmi D. Babalola, Opeyemi E. Ayinde, Paxie W. Chirwa, and Djiby R. Thiam
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Chibuye F. Kunda-Wamuwi, Folaranmi D. Babalola, and Paxie W. Chirwa
Elsevier BV
Chidiebere Ofoegbu, Paxie Chirwa, Joseph Francis, and Folaranmi Babalola
Emerald
Purpose The paper aims to enhance the understanding of the impacts of climate change on rural communities in Africa, including people’s livelihoods, their adaptive capacity, coping practice and ability to engage in sustainable forest use and management of climate change adaptation. Design/methodology/approach The paper opted for a desktop review approach, using the forest-based rural communities of South Africa as a case study. Findings This review shows that climate variability and change are affecting rural people and their livelihoods negatively. Forest-based livelihoods are particularly vulnerable. Nevertheless, the people have developed coping mechanisms to cushion the effects of climate variability and change. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of these strategies are greatly constrained by factors that are related mostly to their socioeconomic characteristics (for example, skill level, educational status and health) and the functionalities of infrastructures and services in their communities. Research limitations/implications Given that the study focused on forest-based rural communities and livelihoods, the results may be limited in generalizability. This may have particular implications for other categories of rural communities and livelihoods in Africa and developing countries in other continents. Practical implications The study showed that opportunities for planning and implementing effective climate change adaptation at rural community level in South Africa are reliant on effective strategies to overcome the constraints identified by the study. The authors thus recommend that climate change adaptation initiatives in rural communities of Africa should focus on improving people’s socioeconomic conditions and the overall sustainable development of the community. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study how climate change affects rural forest-based communities and livelihoods.
C. Ofoegbu, P.W. Chirwa, J. Francis, and F.D. Babalola
Commonwealth Forestry Association
SUMMARY The perceptions of forest-based communities in Vhembe District, South Africa, were examined. Special attention in this study was paid to the aspects linked to climate change, namely socio-cultural issues, views and awareness, beliefs about causes, concerns, and lifestyle adjustments that people are prepared to make. Vegetation type was considered as the major criterion when selecting Makhado, Mutale and Thulamela municipalities, which together with Musina, constitute Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. Seven rural communities in each municipality were selected. Using stratified proportionate random sampling in combination with weighted enumeration area (EA) for these communities, 366 households were chosen and interviewed. It was found that although awareness of ‘climate change’ was poor, most respondents understood what it meant and its associated challenges. Increasing occurrence of erratic rainfall and forest fires were regarded as visible manifestations of climate change. There was also strong concern about the effects of climate change on forests and forest-related products. The respondents expressed a desire to adopt responsible behaviour towards the use and management of forests as a climate-change intervention strategy. However, most community members were sceptical about the causes of climate change. Taking all these issues into account, it was clear that activities that would enlighten the people on the causes and consequences of climate change regarding their livelihoods should be carried out. This would help promote awareness of climate change and encourage people's participation in crafting measures that might help mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Precious Munyanduki, Paxie W. Chirwa, and Folaranmi D. Babalola
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
T. C. Senganimalunje, P. W. Chirwa, F. D. Babalola, and M. A. Graham
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Tuyeni H. Mwampamba, Ron W. Abrams, Stephen Awoyemi, Folaranmi D. Babalola, Temitope I. Borokini, Benis Egoh, Hamid Rguibi Idrissi, Tayeb Koussa, Martin Nganje, and Jennifer O'Leary
Wiley
Copyright: 2017 John Wiley & Sons. Due to copyright restrictions, the attached PDF file only contains the abstract of the full text item. For access to the full text item, kindly consult the publisher's website.
Chidiebere Ofoegbu, P.W. Chirwa, J. Francis, and F.D. Babalola
Elsevier BV
Chidiebere Ofoegbu, Paxie W. Chirwa, Joseph Francis, and Folarannmi D. Babalola
AOSIS
Forests are vulnerable to climate change and are also major sources of livelihood for many rural households in Africa. This study examines rural people’s perceptions of climate change impacts on forest-based livelihoods using rural communities of Vhembe District in South Africa as a case study. The study was based on the principles of perceived impact-based assessment, and sustainable livelihoods framework. Using the stratified proportionate random sampling procedure in combination with weighted Enumeration Area for the selected communities, 366 households were chosen and interviewed. Data analysis involved computing frequencies and conducting the Chi-square, binomial tests and binary logistic regression analysis. The respondents identified erratic rainfall, extreme temperature, extreme drought and flooding as key climatic events in their community. But not all identified key climatic events were perceived to constitute risk to forest products and forest-based livelihood. Only extreme drought was indicated to constitute risk to availability of forest products. In addition, the binary logistic regression showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the perceived risk of climate change to the availability of essential forest products across the three municipalities. Hence the need for forest development initiatives that target vulnerable forest products per community as a means of enhancing resilience of forest-based livelihood to climate change impacts in rural community development in South Africa.
T.C. Senganimalunje, P.W. Chirwa, and F.D. Babalola
Commonwealth Forestry Association
SUMMARY Adoption of participatory forest management has initiated the trend of transfer of access, management and control of forest resources from government to committee based institutions. Hence, understanding the institutional arrangements that support implementation of co-management with local forest organisations (LFOs), is crucial for sustainable forest management. This study therefore, examined the potential and contribution of institutional arrangements to sustainable forest management under co-management arrangement in Mtakataka, Malawi. The results show that while co-management has created new multi-level local forest organisations in the communities, the potential of the organisations to contribute to sustainable forest management has been negatively affected by lack of appropriate power and legitimacy. There are clear and well defined boundaries for the forest resources and communities involved in co-management of the forest reserve. However, co-management is faced with issues such as low participation of community members, ineffective rule enforcement, inadequate human and financial resources, and conflict of forest use. Despite these issues, it is concluded that with improvement in the co-management program, the local forest organisations have potential to achieve sustainable management of forest resources. It is thus recommended that the LFOs should be encouraged to follow what was jointly agreed upon and documented in the management plans. The management plans should also be regularly evaluated and effectively monitored for sustainable management and use of the forest products. L'adoption de la gestion forestière en participation a initié le courant du transfert de l'accès, de la gestion et du contrôle des ressources du gouvernement aux institutions basées sur des comités. La compréhension des arrangements institutionnels soutenant la mise en exécution d'une gestion partagée avec les organisations forestières locales est par conséquent cruciale pour aboutir à une gestion forestière durable. Cette étude a donc examiné le potentiel et la contribution des arrangements institutionnels à une gestion forestière durable dans la gestion partagée amorcée dans le Mtakataka, au Malawi. Nos résultats montrent que, bien que la gestion partagée ait créé de nouvelles organisations locales à plusieurs niveaux dans les communautés ; le potentiel qu'ont ces organisations de contribuer à une gestion forestière durable a été affecté négativement par une carence de pouvoir et de légitimité appropriés. Il existe des délimitations clairement définies pour les ressources forestières et les communautés engagées dans la gestion partagée de la réserve forestière. Toutefois, cette gestion partagée fait face à des questions telles que la faible participation des membres de la communauté, une veille à l'exécution des règles inefficaces, des ressources humaines et financières inadéquates et des conflits quant à l'utilisation de la forêt. Malgré ces questions, nous concluons que les organisations forestières locales peuvent potentiellement parvenir à une gestion durable des ressources forestières, si le programme de gestion partagée est amélioré. Il est ainsi recommandé que les organisations forestières locales soient encouragées à suivre ce qui a été accepté par tous les partis et documenté dans les plans de gestion. Ces derniers devraient également être évalués régulièrement et surveillés efficacement pour assurer une utilisation et une gestion durable des produits forestiers. La aprobación del manejo forestal participativo ha iniciado la tendencia de la transferencia del acceso, la gestión y el control de los recursos forestales del gobierno a instituciones basadas en comités. La comprensión de las disposiciones institucionales que apoyan la implementación de la cogestión con Organizaciones Forestales Locales (OFL) es por este motivo crucial para la ordenación forestal sostenible. Este estudio examina por tanto el potencial y la contribución de las disposiciones institucionales para la ordenación forestal sostenible bajo cogestión en Mtakataka (Malawi). Nuestros resultados muestran que mientras que la cogestión ha creado en las comunidades nuevas organizaciones forestales locales de nivel múltiple, el potencial de las organizaciones para contribuir a la ordenación forestal sostenible se ha visto afectado negativamente por la falta de poder apropiado y de legitimidad. Existen límites claros y bien definidos para los recursos forestales y las comunidades involucradas en la cogestión de la reserva forestal. Sin embargo, la cogestión se enfrenta a problemas como la escasa participación de los miembros de la comunidad, una aplicación ineficaz de las reglas, recursos humanos y financieros inadecuados, y conflictos por el uso del bosque. A pesar de estas problemáticas, se concluye que, con la mejora del programa de cogestión, las organizaciones forestales locales cuentan con potencial para lograr una gestión sostenible de los recursos forestales. Por tanto, se recomienda que se anime a las OFL a continuar con lo que se acordó de manera conjunta y quedó documentado en los planes de gestión. Además, los planes de gestión deberían ser evaluados periódicamente y monitoreados de manera efectiva para la gestión y el uso sostenible de los productos forestales.
Paxie W. Chirwa, Samkelo Mamba, Samuel O.M. Manda, and Folaranmi D. Babalola
Elsevier BV
F.D. Babalola, T.I. Borokini, A.O. Onefeli, and M. Muchie
Informa UK Limited
Indigenous trees have been discovered to be disappearing from urban areas at alarming rates, and the contributions of the existing trees are not adequately documented. Milicia excelsa is an indigenous trees species in tropical Africa and popularly known as Iroko. Due to extensive exploitation for wood production and other socio-economic activities, the tree species is classified as threatened and relics could only be found in a few locations. A survey of the trees in the city of Ibadan was therefore carried out to determine their distribution as well as their socio-economic contributions to the urban people. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the people living close to the trees or working in the locations where the trees are sighted to determine the socio-economic benefits. A total of 65 trees (0.14 trees/km2) of M. excelsa were sighted. As observed in the city, the benefits of the tree species were categorized as: environmental, medicinal, economic, spiritual and ecological services. Provision of shade that creates a ‘microclimatic environment’ in the form of cooling effects from the heat of the day was mentioned by about 95% of the respondents as the major benefit obtained from the trees. A strategy for the conservation of the trees as urban trees and their protection against damage to life and property are considered imperative. There is also a need for an appropriate policy that protects indiscriminate felling of indigenous trees in the city and constant monitoring of the trees' status for any sign of weakness.