Abstract:
This study assessed the level of awareness and involvement of the private sector in forest plantation development, investigated the extent of forest plantations established by the private sector, examined the socio-economic importance of private sector participation in forest plantation development and identified the constraints to private forest plantation development in Ekiti-State, Nigeria. The study was limited to four Local Government Areas (Ekiti East, Ekiti West, Gbonyin and Ado) in Ekiti State, which were selected based on the abundance of tree growers. Six towns/villages with the highest private forest plantations were selected from each local government areas (LGAs). Ten (10) respondents were selected in each town/village and semi-structured questionnaire administered to them. Also, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was used to obtained additional information while secondary data were obtained from Ekiti State Forestry Department, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. The results show that majority of private plantation owners were males which accounted for 87.5% in Ekiti East, 91.2% in Ekiti West, 97.4% in Gbonyin and 96.8% in Ado LGAs of the respondents while married people represented 87.5% in Ekiti East, 94.5% in Ekiti West, 97.4% in Gbonyin and 100% in Ado LGAs with formal education and age range of 41-50 years. Farming was the primary occupation of most of the respondents. The major silvicultural operations like land clearing, thinning, pruning, weeding, beating-up, fire tracing, seed procurement, etc were carried out by the respondents. Furthermore, the majority of the private forest plantation investors procured their land through family inheritance, while others purchased the land or through community land. The respondents procured the planting stocks through various means such as from government sources, collection of wildlings, and purchase of seedlings while some raised the seedlings on their own. There is a growing involvement and participation of private tree growers in forest plantation development in Ekiti State. The total area of private forest plantations established in Ekiti State is one thousand, six hundred and six hectares (1606 ha). There were indications that private forest
