Rural People's Reliance on Forests and the Non-Forest Environment in West Africa: Evidence from Ghana and Burkina Faso

Based on data from 1014 households in Ghana and Burkina Faso, we demonstrate that non-forest environmental products play a crucial role in rural livelihoods, especially for women and the poorest. Forest incomes are generally small but richer households and especially men from these derive comparatively higher value from forests than other groups do. Environmental income also represents a safety net for households facing crises due to illness or death of a productive household member, but apparently not when cropping fails. We attribute rural people's high reliance on non-forest vs. forest products to the two countries restrictive and inequitable forest policies. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.