Socio-Economic Contribution of Zanthoxylum armatum (Timur) in the Rural Household Income of Myagdi District, Nepal

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) contribute to livelihood of rural communities which is influenced by numerous socio-economic variables. This study assessed the financial contribution of Zanthoxylum armatum and the influence of respondents’ various socio-economic characteristics on such contribution in Ghatan of Beni Municipality, Myagdi District, Nepal. For this study, we used semi-structured questionnaires to 80 purposively selected households, followed by 10 key informant interviews, four focus group discussions, and direct field observations. A Pearson correlation matrix was used to determine the dependence of several socio-economic variables on average annual household income from the sale of Z. armatum. The average annual income per household from the sale of Z. armatum was found to be the highest (494 USD) in Brahmin/Chhetri households and the lowest (372 USD) in Dalit households. Among five variables used in the regression model, only three of them: land holding size (khet), time taken to harvest (days), and wealth ranking (rich) were found positively significant with p-values of 0.042, 0.000, and 0.064 respectively. Whereas, the education status of the respondents (literate) and the main income source (agriculture) were found negatively significant with p-values of 0.046 and 0.064, respectively. Furthermore, we believe that this result will help to promote the conservation of Z. armatum and other valuable medicinal plants as well as their sustainable management in the study area and similar areas.