FACTORS AFFECTING INTENSITY OF USE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG FOOD CROP FARMERS IN OYO STATE’S FOREST RESERVES, NIGERIA

Abstract

Forest sustainable development requires a certain level of participation in forest management practices. The study aims to identify and analyse the factors that influence the level of participation in forest management practices and the intensity of use of adopted forest management practices in the study area. The study employed a multistage random selection approach to choose study participants. Using a proportional sample method, 223 producers of food crops who resided in the vicinity of the forest reserves were sampled. Sex of the respondents, the heterogeneity index, and the collective work participation index have positive correlations with farm management practices and statistically influence forest management. Similarly, farm size (p=0.032), availability to extension visit (p=0.029), years spent in school (p=0.098), and farm distance (p=0.007) influenced their practices. The study therefore recommended that farmers broaden their horizons in their pursuit of improved chances for forest management techniques.