Livelihood Contributions and Sustainability of Non-Timber Forest Products in Community Forest Areas of Kenya

Abstract

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) constitute a critical yet underquantified component of rural livelihoods in Kenya's forest-adjacent communities. Despite a growing global literature on NTFP economics, systematic evidence on the diversity, economic value, and governance conditions enabling sustainable NTFP use in Kenyan forests remains fragmented, and no prior study has examined these dimensions jointly across contrasting forest landscapes using a common methodology. This study assessed NTFP species diversity, household income contribution, and harvest sustainability across two ecologically distinct forest landscapes: Mount Kenya Forest Reserve (MKFR) and the Cherangany Hills Forest Complex (CHFC). Using a mixed-methods design combining household surveys (n = 487), species diversity transects, market value assessments, and semi-structured key informant interviews (n = 42), we document 94 NTFP species spanning 47 families actively harvested by forest-adjacent communities. NTFPs contributed a mean of 28.4% (SD = 11.7%) of total annual household income, with medicinal plants, wild edibles, and craft materials representing the most economically significant categories. Women-headed households derived a significantly higher proportion of income from NTFPs than male-headed households (34.1% versus 24.8%; p < 0.001). Sustainability assessments using a modified Harvest Pressure Index (HPI) identified 23 species under moderate-to-critical harvest pressure. Governance analysis revealed that membership in Community Forest Associations (CFAs) significantly predicted adoption of sustainable harvest practices (OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 2.06–3.99, p < 0.001). These findings have direct implications for Kenya's Community Land Act (2016), the Forest Conservation and Management Act (2016), and for NTFP integration into Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) frameworks under Kenya's emerging green economy strategy.