Source Year: 1996

Data are presented on reliance on non-timber forest products from home gardens and forests in the Sri Lankan village of Pitikele. Land and tree tenure in the village, which is in the buffer zone of the Sinharaja MAB Reserve, has altered dramatically because of changing priorities in forest management which have moved from utilization toward complete forest protection. Local residents must adapt to a new set of social circumstances. Household demographics, access to land, and income from non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and external employment, are examined as pertinent to household food accquisition. Average land holding size in the village was 2.5 acres, and included a home garden, paddy field and separate tea garden. Cash crops were tea, cinnamon and rubber.