A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2004

The research was about people's participation in the community forestry in Cambodia. Main objectives of this research were to study institutional framework for people's participation in community forestry project; to examine patterns, form and intensity of people's participation in development process of community forestry project; to assess the benefits gained of people from community forestry project; to analyze factors influencing people's participation, to identify problems and potentials and to suggest recommendations to strengthen people's participation in community forestry projects in future. Main scope of this study was local people's participation in decision-making, implementation, benefit sharing and monitoring and evaluation steps. The intensity of participation and benefits gained were assessed from CF activities. Factors influencing on the intensity of participation were examined in demographic, economic and social and institutional aspects. Moreover, the institutional arrangements of the community forestry were reviewed from national and project level policies and practice at local level. The research was conducted in five community forestry areas in Pursat province using a survey questionnaire with a total of 42 sampled households as a prime method for data collection. The research was focused on quantitative analysis but qualitative technique was also applied. The sampled households were the member of the community forestry. Main findings of this research showed that people participated in the CF in a high level of intensity in most steps except monitoring and evaluation that they participated occasionally. Their participation's intensity was varied from various activities in the CF process. The activity that could be involved people's participation directly, they tended to participate with a relatively high degree of intensity in those specific activities. The intensity of people's participation in the whole CF process depended significantly on the extension service followed by membership of local organizations, gender and farm land holding size. The benefits gained from participation in the CF in terms of social, economic, environmental and institutional aspects were not high, particularly in institutional aspect. For the income earning from NTFPs of the forest users was found to have an association with key factors included the degree of intensity of households' participation in implementation, gender of household head, occupation, household size, number of labor force, farm land holding size and its tenure, and the degree of intensity of participation in the whole process of the CF activities. Certain recommendations were given in this research are to strengthen the intensity of people's participation in the CF development and management process. These were focused on the promotion of extension activities, communication, membership of local organizations, gender and farm land holding size. These were the determinants of the intensity of people's participation in the whole CF process. In addition, the suggestion was given to strengthen the institutional aspects of the CF which is a mechanism to enhance local people's participation focusing on provision of transportation, training programs and technical support, financial support, and incentive for VFMC.