Community Forestry as Livelihood Assets: Household Perspectives and Sustainable Practices

Abstract

Abstract Community forestry (CF) has provided significant benefits to communities and maintained forest sustainability. This study aims to analyze the level of community dependence on the Community Forestry area and identify livelihood assets based on five capitals: human capital, natural capital, financial capital, physical capital, and social capital, as well as sustainable livelihood strategies. This study uses the method of analyzing the level of dependency using the contribution formula and livelihood analysis. The results showed that the level of community dependence on the CF permit area in a year was 36%, while from outside CF management, it was 64%. This shows that the community manages more commodities from outside the CF area than within the CF area because the market price demand for products from outside the CF area, such as corn and rice, is more stable and higher, which affects their income. In addition, many commodities that have just begun to be developed by the community have not yet provided significant economic benefits. The most influential capital in encouraging people to obtain a decent livelihood is physical capital, which is supported by several categories such as housing conditions, means of transport, access to communication tools, road access, and public assets. Meanwhile, human capital, natural capital, social capital, and financial capital are in the medium category. These four capitals synergize with each other through community skills supported by good cooperation among farmer groups, as well as the availability of natural resources that can be managed to fulfill daily needs. Sustainable livelihood strategies adopted by the community include intensification and extension, diversification, and migration. This research provides an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of community dependence on community forestry and the various livelihood strategies they use to achieve economic and environmental sustainability.

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