CONSUMPTION PATTERN AND DEPENDENCE OF RURAL COMMUNITY ON NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCT IN AKOKO ONDO STATE , NIGERIA.

The study was conducted to investigate consumption pattern and dependence of rural community on non-timber forest product in Akoko Ondo state ,with the aim to assess consumption pattern of rural-urban community people and also determine uses and preservation of forest resources by rural-urban communities’ dwellers. In recent decades there has been growing interest in the contribution of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) livelihood strategies to rural development and poverty alleviation. It is widely recognized that promoting the sustainable harvest and utilization of NTFPs can contribute to forest conservation. Nevertheless, with the development progressed in many regions, substitutes for NTFPs becoming readily available in the markets, challenging the NTFPS. A survey was conducted in a rural-urban fringe of Akoko north west, Akoko north east and Akoko south west on the consumption of NTFP. Data were collected using semi – structured questionnaire and subjected to descriptive statistics. Nine communities were visited across the three (3) Akoko Local Government Areas of Ondo State. They include : Akungba, Arigidi ,Iboropa, Ikare, Irun, Ogbagi, Oka, Supare, Ugbe. Whereby twenty (20) questionnaire were administered in each communities per household which gives a total of one hundred and eighty (180) questionnaire. The empirical results indicate that the majority of the rural-urban households were entirely dependent on forest products. SPSS was used for the analysis to find the socio-economic importance. Excel was used to analyze the consumption pattern using Anova. The survey documented 12 main forest products which were primarily used for household consumption. The consumption pattern of the respondents (p>0.05) and dependency on the NFTP of the respondents NTFP (p >0.05) were found to have no significant difference amidst the respondents of the nine communities in the study area.