| Abstract: |
Through the implementation of a choice experiment valuation exercise, this
study set out to identify the set of community plantation attributes that
impact the welfare of potential community forestry program participants. We
employed a combination of choice models to evaluate the preferences, welfare
impacts and choice elasticities associated with alternative community forestry
programs, allowing for different assumptions regarding heterogeneity. In line
with economic theory, increased participation costs reduced the demand for
community forestry, while increases in expected productivity raised the
demand. With respect to preferences for the other alternatives considered —
type of forest, area enclosure and type of land upon which the forest was to
be situated — the results point to significant differences in preferences
across the study population, suggesting that programs should be tailored to
the communities in which the program is to be implemented. |