Using Forest Resources for Economic Development and Poverty Reduction in Ekiti State

Forest products are resources of immense benefits to all especially, for the people of Ekiti being an agrarian society. In the recent time, forest products are becoming poverty reduction strategy in this part of the world. The major factors responsible for this activity include the desire for food, food security, meeting household level needs, provision of raw materials, source of foreign exchange and income as well as save physical money to meet up both household demands and foreign earning. Some of the opportunities and challenges faced are the availability of land, capital and purpose for which forest products are made available for use. Questionnaire were used to collect information on the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, various forms of forest products, their uses and services in the study area. The study found out that forest products are means of livelihood for providing food, fuel wood, fresh water protection, provision of bush meat and herbal medicine. For herbal medicine products as alternative medicine to pharmaceutical products in the society for curing the new found ailments and sicknesses. It also revealed that care must be taken to prevent deforestation, environmental degradation as well as ecological devastation in the study area. The result of the spatial tree analysis showed that unwanted destruction should be prevented so as to alleviate poverty in the study area because the inhabitants as well as the country derive means of livelihoods from the forest reserves.