Potential income sources for rural communities can be identified
by identifying market opportunities for selling vegetation to improve the
livelihoods and financial stability of households, which determines the
viability and demand for vegetation products in local markets. Concepts of
ecosystem services have been developed to make explicit connections between
human welfare and ecological sustainability for policy, development, and
conservation initiatives. Economic concepts such as the distinction between
prices and values, and the acknowledgment of their values are context-specific
which may change across space and time. Concepts of ecosystem services have
been developed to make explicit connections between human welfare and
ecological sustainability for policy, development, and conservation
initiatives. Economic concepts such as the distinction between prices and
values, and the acknowledgment of their values are context-specific which may
change across space and time. Contingent valuation is a survey-based economic
technique for valuing non-market resources, such as vegetation. This method is
often used to establish the amount people are willing to be compensated for
maintaining the existence of an environmental feature such as a tree, shrub, or
grass. The level of importance attached to provisioning services as well as
cultural services and cultural heritage differ in the rural communities hence
different cash values attached. It is often perceived that rural community
members do not put a monetary value on vegetation, the study is therefore aimed
at establishing the monetary value rural communities have for vegetation. The
study was conducted in two irrigated and two unirrigated landscapes consisting
of about 54 communities and comprising 240 respondents. Participatory Rural
Appraisal tools were used. Random Utility Theory was applied and used for the
analysis. The concerning native, sex, age, education, and household head.
Marital status was, however, not significant in all the landscapes.
Respondents’ willingness to accept a sell price of the various vegetation reached
acceptable prices that gave average prices. The price trend is observed to be
across a landscape, from the catchment to the downstream ecosystem. The study’s
conclusion asserts that rural farmers in the targeted area have very good
knowledge of the usefulness of vegetation to ecosystem services in their
environment. However, it was observed that community members do not have much
knowledge on the monetary value of vegetation and hence, it is important for
awareness creation and up-date on the monetary value of ecosystem services.
Author
(s) Details
Gandaa Z. Bizoola
University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/raeges/v10/2395
