Farmers’ perception towards farm level rubber tree planting: a case study from guraferda, south–western Ethiopia

Plantation forest of exotic tree species are one form of forests in Ethiopia.1–3 They deliver a wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits.4 The importance of plantation forests is increasing as the demand for forest products is rising and the supply from the natural forests is decreasing. Accordingly, the areas under manmade forests have been increasing from an estimated cal. 190,000 hectare (ha) in 1990 to cal. 972,000 ha in 2011 in the country.1 Of these, about 20% of the plantations are classified as commercial plantations.1 The remaining 80% are non industrial plantations, mainly woodlots and trees on farms. Plantation forests are important to meet wood requirements for local use, such as for construction material and for wood fuel5,6 and thereby helping the rural people improving their livelihood through the contribution to household economy in Ethiopia.7–9 Furthermore, in Ethiopia, plantations of some tree species can also provide important recognized Non–timber Forest products (NTFPs),10 including the natural rubber.