The role of forest user group membership in the extraction of teak forest resources for smallholder cattle farming

Summary

Sustainable forest management in South-East Asia is challenged by smallholder livestock husbandry as farmers supplement insufficient on-farm forage with resources extracted from forests. This study assesses which determinants affect forest resource extraction by investigating teak forest usage by Indonesian cattle farmers. Based on a survey of 600 smallholders, we provide an overview of which resources are extracted, assess the factors influencing the likelihood of becoming a forest user group member and analyse characteristics that differ between members and non-members as well as the effect of membership on extraction frequency. Almost half of the farmers collect animal forage and heating material from teak forests or farm forestland. Two thirds of farmers who extract resources are not institutionally organized. Increasing distance to forests as well as diversity of extraction are found to be related with increased odds for highest extraction frequency. Group members differ from non-members mainly in the number of resources extracted as well as the usage of forest grass as a main forage source. Farmers are more likely to be group members with increasing farm size and poverty levels. Socio-economic benefits obtained from group membership should be redesigned so that more smallholders are motivated to join this governance scheme. If sustainable forest management schemes are scaled up to agroforestry-based agricultural intensification, a broad set of national and international benefits could be realized.