The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has highlighted a World Development article on the role forests can play in poverty alleviation in China.
The article is based on a study conducted within CIFOR's Poverty and Environment Network (PEN).
15 February 2013: The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) has highlighted a World Development article on the role forests can play in poverty alleviation in China. The article is based on a study conducted within CIFOR’s Poverty and Environment Network (PEN).
The article focuses on work in Tianlin County in Guangxi Province where the Government of China has implemented a number of projects over the past fifteen years as part of its Priority Forestry Programs, including the national Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program. The article reports that in the study area, where almost half the population lives on less than US$1 per day and a majority of the land is forested, the largest source of cash income is derived from forest products, especially cultivated non-timber forest products.
The article also identifies a number of barriers to the further contribution of forests to poverty alleviation including inequality in land ownership, in particular a lack of access to land by the poor and uneven access to off-farm jobs. Additional obstacles include market barriers, which prevent effective smallholder engagement, as well as price fixing. [CIFOR Blog Post] [Publication: The Role of Forest-related Income in Household Economies and Rural Livelihoods in the Border-region of Southern China]