Farmers’ Willingness to Accept Afforestation in Farming Land and Its Influencing Factors in Fragile Landscapes Based on the Contingent Valuation Method

Afforestation (AF) in farmland has been widely used as an alternative and sustainable land-use practice to address socioeconomic and environmental challenges. The aim of this study is to estimate farmers’ willingness to accept (WTA) compensation and land, both of which are equally significant for policymakers to ensure the effective implementation of AF and achieve desired outcomes. This topic has not been sufficiently explored in previous research. This study focused on areas characterized by insecure farming conditions, backward economies, and fragile landscapes, where farmers are generally unfamiliar with AF or compensation for ecosystem services under payment for ecosystem services programs. It assessed their attitudes towards the WTA AF, compensation, and land as an alternative practice, which remains under-researched. This is crucial for designing effective AF programs in the future to improve livelihood and enhance the quantity and quality of the environment. This study used the contingent valuation method to estimate the minimum WTA compensation and maximum land for the forgone loss and alternative land-use practices. A questionnaire survey was conducted in Hupsekot municipality, Nepal, with 232 farmer households. The ordinal logistic regression model was used to analyze influencing factors of WTA compensation and land. The result showed that farmers’ average WTA compensation was NPR 1268.67 (USD 9.76)/Kattha/year, with 2.64 Kattha land available for AF. The factors, including socioeconomic characters and attitudes toward the environmental situation and forests, significantly influenced WTA values and provided potential target factors to achieve maximum AF land within a lower budget.