IMPACT OF BRAC SOCIAL FORESTRY PROGRAM AS PERCEIVED BY THE WOMEN BENEFICIARIES

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the extent of perceived impact of social forestry program by the women beneficiaries of BRAC. An attempt was made to explore relationships of 11 independent variables with women beneficiaries' perceived impact of social forestry. The study also investigated the contribution as well as direct and indirect effects of the selected variables on women beneficiaries' perceived impact of social forestry program. Data for the study were collected by interviewing 105 randomly selected women beneficiaries of Bochagonj and Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur district during 24 November 2007 to 17 December 2007. The findings showed that 65.7 percent of the respondents had high impact followed by 22.9 percent moderate and 11.4 percent low as perceived by the women beneficiaries of BRAC. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation coefficient indicated that out of eleven variables, respondents' level of education, family size, annual Iami ly income, duration of involvement in social forestry program, participation in social forestry program, training exposure, knowledge on social forestry and attitude towards BRAC had positive significant relationship, but constraints faced in social forestry program had negative significant relationship with their perceived impact of social forestry program. Result of full model and stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that four variables were the important predictors of women beneficiaries' perceived impact of social forestry program. These variables included participation in social forestry program, knowledge on social forestry, attitude towards BRAC and constraints for participation in social forestry program. These four variables cornbinedly explained 47.4 percent of the total variation in women beneficiaries' perceived impact of social forestry program. Path analysis showed that knowledge on social forestry, participation in social forestry program and attitude towards BRAC had positive and substantial total indirect effects on women beneficiaries' perceived impact of social forestry program and the constraints faced in social forestry program had negative and indirect effects. On the basis of descending order of constraints faced index, 'lack of required land' ranked first, followed by 'difficult to control pest', 'problem of plantation in low land', destruction of plant by cattle and others, and 'destruction of transplanted plant by excessive storm, drought and flood