Contribution of forestry to rural development
- N. Lust
- L. Nachtergale
Abstract
Rural development will be a primary challenge in the next century. Consequently, the question arises what will be the contribution of forestry to this rural development, taking into account that nowadays in terms of rural employment the importance of forestry is low. Rural areas are confronted with major challenges of economic restructuring and development, partially due to the permanent evolution of perception and roles of forests and managers in rural development. In comparison with the recent past, the current rural economies are much more diverse and urban/globally interrelated. Next to the limited direct income and employment supply, intelligent rural forestry protects the agricultural crops and enhances their productivity. But moreover, the potentials of the new forest functions must be explored, based on the typical charactersistics of each individual rural area. There still are, also in the next century, various reasons for farmers to incorporate forests within their farming system. However, the motives and objectives for management may be quite diverse and a lot of problems must be solved, before forestry can express its full potential. Beside the production of marketable goods, numerous arguments about quality of environment, landscape beauty, biodiversity protection, water quality, erosion control, etc. are recommended to farmers. The challenge of sustainable rural development is to promote efficiency and social equity, while respecting and enhancing ecological integrity and cultural identity. For the implementation of the forestry contribution, three specific means are available: forest development programmes, full utilisation of potential market chances for wood and non-wood products and marketing of forest services.
How to Cite:
Lust, N. & Nachtergale, L., (1998) “Contribution of forestry to rural development”, Silva Gandavensis 63. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sg.v63i0.838
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