Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife & Environment Vol. 9(1) March, 2017 http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jrfwe jfewr ©2017 - jfewr Publications 34 E-mail:[email protected] ISBN: 2141 – 1778 Senchi and Bello 2017 CONTRIBUTION OF Acacia nilotica PRODUCTS TO THE RURAL LIVELIHOOD OF PEOPLE IN WAMAKO COMMUNITY OF SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA Senchi A. A. and Bello A. G. Department of Forestry and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. Nigeria [email protected], [email protected], Phone: 08038670349, 07033179819 ABSTRACT The study examined the contribution of Acacia nilotica products to the rural livelihood of people in Wamako community of Sokoto State. Structured and open ended questionnaires were distributed to respondent. Twelve (12) villages were purposively selected from eight (8) Districts. Simple random sampling was used to select ten (10) respondents from each village giving a total sample size of 120 respondents. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the study indicated that, average age of the respondents was between 36 to 55 years with 73%, 93% male and 91% married. 58% had 6 to 10 members in their homes and majority of them are farmers (85%) while 74% obtained Qur’anic education. In contribution to livelihood, Acacia nilotica serves as source of income (33%) and medicinal (64%) purposes. About 73% of respondents source Acacia products from the farm land, while 65% obtained income of N4001 – 6000 monthly. 70% of the respondents sold their products at the local market, while 72% indicated that Acacia nilotica helped them in the control of erosion. However, apart from medicinal values, 67% used Acacia nilotica as fuel wood. The major problems faced by the respondents in the study area include deforestation, infestation and lack of storage facilities. The paper recommended regeneration of Acacia nilotica through afforestation, reforestation and social forestry for an improved livelihood of people in the study area. Key Words: Indigenous tree, species, Acacia nilotica, rural livelihood and development INTRODUCTION psychological and material factors that measure Development plans in the past two to three decades human well-being. Development therefore is a tended to promote urban development at the expense multifaceted phenomenon and man centered. It is the of the rural areas. This can be gleaned from process of empowering people to maximize their investments into infrastructural development, job potentials, and develop the knowledge capacity to availability, siting of industries and income disparity exploit nature to meet daily human needs (Ake, in favour of the urban areas. Yet, it has been argued 2001). Socio-economic development is a product of that maintaining this rigid occupational dichotomy development and can be defined as the process of siphoning of resources from the rural areas to develop social and economic transformation in a society. the urban sector, to the detriment of the rural sector Socio-economic development embraces changes and its population would negate the process of taking place in the social sphere mostly of an development (Akhakpe, 2012). Chandler (2007) sees economic nature. Thus, socio-economic development development as a broader concept that recognizes is made up of processes caused by exogenous and endogenous factors which determine the course and JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT VOLUME 9, No. 1 MARCH, 2017 CONTRIBUTION OF Acacia nilotica PRODUCTS TO THE RURAL LIVELIHOOD OF PEOPLE IN WAMAKO COMMUNITY OF SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA 35 direction of the development (Chandler, 2007).Socio development are not systematically documented. economic development is a multi dimensional However, it plays a significant role in contributing to phenomenon. Some of it indicators include the level the livelihood of rural people. This research work will of economic growth, level of education, level of provide the rural dwellers of different ways on how health services, degree of modernization, status of Acacia nilotica contribute to their livelihood. women, level of nutrition, quality of housing, However, the research can serve as baseline distribution of goods and services, and access to the information for other researches as it may be fitting to communication (Abhiman, 1999). In this case the other areas having the same indigenous trees and study of socio-economic development, include socio-economic background. The objective of this improvement in the standard of living and increase in paper is to assess the contribution of Acacia nilotica economic life of the people. It also includes the products to the rural livelihood of people in Wamako factors such as income, quality and availability of community of Sokoto State. employment, class disparity, poverty rate, quality and affordability of housing, access to quality health care, MATERIALS and Methods quality and availability of education, infrastructure, Study Area and environmental quality. The standard of living is Wamakko (LGA) is one of the 23 LGAs of closely related to quality of life (Anonymous, 2011). Sokoto State, Nigeria. It has an area of 697 km² and a Trees play an important role in human and population of 179,619 people, (NPC, 2006). The economic development of any nation, for the simple Local Government Area was created out of Sokoto reason that they (trees) provide many basic needs for state in 1991. It has ten (10) districts: Dundaye, life such as medicine, food, fodder, timber, Gumburawa, Gumbi, Gwuiwa, Wajake, Gedawa, environmental protection and stability etc, based on Kalambaina, Arkilla, Gidan Bubu, and Wamkko. Its this, trees touch almost all part of life, (Wilson, 1988). headquarters is located in Wamakko town, about Economic trees provide man with fuel wood, fiber, 10km from Sokoto city, the state capital. The Local charcoal, gum, resin, rubber, medicine and Government Area is located to the extreme North employment (Evans, 1992). West part of the state on the lat of 1307.5528’ N - and In spite of the importance of the indigenous trees long 5o 12.5400’E using GPS Device. It is bordered especially Acacia nilotica found in Wamako area, on the North by Tangaza Local Government Area, to there are challenges and bottlenecks hindering their the South by Bodinga (LGA) and Yabo (LGA), to the greater contribution, innovative approaches as well as West by Silame (LGA) and to the East by Sokoto strategies to recognize the contributions and value north and Kware (LGA). that this tree bring. However, the many ways in which The climate of the study area is characterized by indigenous trees contribute to socio-economic a long dry season (October/November-April/May) development are poorly understood, under estimated with a short rainy season (May-September/October), and adequately not considered in policy decision (Singh, 1995). Rainfall starts in late May and ends in related to development. There are limited late September or early October with annual rainfall understanding of the important role that this tree can ranging from 400 to 700 mm (Singh, 1995). The play in improving the standard of living of rural minimum and maximum temperatures are 19°C and people especially in developing countries. 39°C respectively with mean annual temperature of Wamako Local Government Area contains many 27°C with relative humidity of 52 to 56%. The study stands of Acacia nilotica. This tree species is an area experiences harmattan wind (N-E Trade winds), integral part of their rural house hold economy and which are dry, cold, and dusty blowing between the contributes to the standard of living as it is significant months of November to February. The soil of study in providing timber and non timber products. It area is predominantly sandy to sandy-loamy with low therefore serves as source of medicine, gums, fertility level particularly poor in primary nutrients fuelwood and fodder, it is extensively used as a like Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (Ango et browse, timber and fuelwood species, the bark and al., 2014). The vegetation of the area falls within the seeds are used as a source of tannins. The functions of Sudan Savannah vegetation zone characterized by this species (Acacia nilotica) in social and economic soils that are mostly sandy to loamy in texture with JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN FORESTRY, WILDLIFE AND ENVIRONMENT VOLUME 9, No. 1 MARCH, 2017 Senchi and Bello ( 2017) Senchi and Bello ( 2017) 36 some patches of clayey subsoil. An assortment of outdoor activities than female and due to the religious various species of grasses and legumes, patches of and traditional background of the study area, it was bushes and sparsely distributed indigenous tree difficult to get the responses of women especially species majority of which are thorny tree species, house wives except older women and mostly in the such trees include Acacia nilotica, Faidherbia albida, market place. Zizipus spp, Tamarindus indica, Balanites Marital status aegyptiaca, etc, (Ango, et al., 2014). The results indicated that 90.8 % of the Sampling Design respondents were married while14.2% were single in Wamako (LGA) has ten (10) Districts; Dundaye, the study area. In traditional settings married people Gumburawa, Gumbi, Gwuiwa, Wajake, Gedawa, are assumed to be more committed to their Kalambaina, Arkilla, Gidan Bubu, and Wamkko. responsibilities. According to Olarinde et. al. (2008) Purposive sampling was used to select eight (8) reported that one of the most important factors which Districts base on the concentration and existence of determine the efficiency of any business is marital this tree species (Acacia nilotica) and producers and status of individual. It is because married people marketers of Acacia nilotica products. Twelve (12) worked hard in order to meet up the demand of their villages were randomly selected from each District family members and this will improve their social and based on the percentage population of the people and economic status. random selection was also made of ten (10) Household size respondents in each village. The sample size for the The results indicated that 77.5% had household study stood at 120 respondents for the work.