An Insight of Village Community Banks as the Tool of Forest Resource Conservation: A Case of Selected Villages Adjacent Pugu and Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve.

Abstract

Village Community Bank (VICOBA) is established with the intention of eradicating extreme poverty and enhancing economic and social development. However, it is clear that poor societies in rural areas depend more on forest resources as a source of energy which results in the depletion of resources. Having well-coordinated and operating VICOBA in the community; improves their livelihood and shifts from depending on natural resources like forest. This study assessed the contribution of VICOBA to forest resource conservation. The study used a cross-sectional design whereby a multistage sampling technique and Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) were used to get a sample of 230 respondents. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS. Findings show that over 75.7% of  VICOBA members agree that economic activities as the results of the VICOBA program aided in reducing much dependence on forest products like wood and charcoal consumption and affords alternative sources of energy like electricity, gas, and solar energy while only 24.3% of respondents disagree.  On the other hand, 76.5% of respondents agreed that the VICOBA program helped them in increasing individual income. Finally, this study recommends that alternative sources of income-generating activities should be promoted especially in the communities adjacent to forest resources in order to reduce dependence on forest resources for economic purposes.