TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainability attributes of a small-scale betel leaf agroforestry system
T2 - A case study in north-eastern hill forests of Bangladesh
AU - Nath, Tapan Kumar
AU - Inoue, Makoto
PY - 2009/9
Y1 - 2009/9
N2 - The Khasia ethnic community of Bangladesh has been a population of forest villagers in the north-eastern hill forests of Bangladesh since the early 1950s, practicing a betel leaf-based agroforestry system on land granted by the Forest Department. Taking a sample forest village of the Sylhet forest division as a case study, this article examines the sustainability attributes of betel leaf production in the agroforestry system. The presence of several positive attributes of sustainability including the composition of agroforestry, disease control, soil fertility management, profitability, socio-cultural acceptability and institutional support indicate that betel leaf production within the agroforestry system is stable under the prevailing traditional management system. Income from the sale of betel leaf is the principal livelihood means and villager's reciprocal contributions help to conserve forest resources. However, problems with land ownership and regular agreement renewal need to be resolved for the sake of their livelihoods and forest conservation.
AB - The Khasia ethnic community of Bangladesh has been a population of forest villagers in the north-eastern hill forests of Bangladesh since the early 1950s, practicing a betel leaf-based agroforestry system on land granted by the Forest Department. Taking a sample forest village of the Sylhet forest division as a case study, this article examines the sustainability attributes of betel leaf production in the agroforestry system. The presence of several positive attributes of sustainability including the composition of agroforestry, disease control, soil fertility management, profitability, socio-cultural acceptability and institutional support indicate that betel leaf production within the agroforestry system is stable under the prevailing traditional management system. Income from the sale of betel leaf is the principal livelihood means and villager's reciprocal contributions help to conserve forest resources. However, problems with land ownership and regular agreement renewal need to be resolved for the sake of their livelihoods and forest conservation.
KW - Forest conservation
KW - Forest villagers
KW - Khasia community
KW - Land ownership
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=73449118567&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s11842-009-9084-4
DO - 10.1007/s11842-009-9084-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:73449118567
SN - 1873-7617
VL - 8
SP - 289
EP - 304
JO - Small-scale Forestry
JF - Small-scale Forestry
IS - 3
ER -
