Challenges and household perception towards participatory forest governance: The case of Gemechis Woreda Participatory Forest Management, West Hararghe Zone of Oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Abstract

Globally the approaches to forest governance underwent a significant change over the last decades, a shift from top-down or state centered forest governance towards the community based forest governance. Participatory forest management (PFM) is an approach in which different stakeholders, mainly the local community and formal government agency negotiate on power and benefit sharing in co-managing the forest resource. The contemporary natural resource management literature largely hails PFM as a successful forest governance approach. However, the success of PFM is highly dependent on contextual factors including biophysical, community and institutional factors. To achieve the dual goals of improving local peoples livelihood and forest resource condition, Ethiopia has been involved in implementing PFM programs. In Oromia regional state, PFM has been in effect under the mandate of Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise (OFWE). Despite an increase in the number of PFMs run under the mandate of OFWE within the region, however, studies that investigates how OFWE institutionalized PFM, and household perception towards the existing PFM remain scarce. To address this gap, this particular study was conducted in Gemechis woreda, west Hararghe zone of Oromia regional state. The study aimed at exploring the institutional dimensions of PFM, challenges affecting PFM, and farmers—household perceptions towards the existing PFM program. For this, I employed a mixed method approach involving both qualitative and quantitative design. Qualitative content analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data, whereas logistic regression econometric model was used to determine factors influencing household perception towards the PFM program. The study found that, three key factors led to the emergence of PFM in the study area, namely, institutional restructuring and policy provisions, recognition of the exacerbating condition of forest, and the demand for equitable representation by the community. Multiple stakeholders including community, OFWE and other organization involved in the PFM program with different mandates and capacities. However, unequal power and benefit sharing in favor of the government agency (OFWE), recentralization of decision making power, limited participation in decision making, limited understanding and enforcement of rules by the community, conflicting aspirations of stakeholders over how to utilize forest,, and limited benefit obtained from the forest were among the challenges that hindered the successful implementation of PFM program. Despite these challenges, however, majority of respondents who are members of the PFM program had positively viewed PFM program and its livelihood and ecological contributions. Econometric result indicated that, household age, PFM membership, and benefits from PFM positively influence perception of households toward PFM program while distance from the PFM site were found to negatively influence household perception toward PFM. In order to improve the PFM program, key issues such as improving stakeholders participation in decision making, , strengthening collaboration of stakeholders, ensuring equitable benefit sharing, proper decentralization of decision making authority, and proper enforcement of agreed-up on rules should be given priority attention.