Use of non-timber forest products for productivity and sustainable livelihood of the rural communities

This research evaluates the impact of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) towards enhancing the community capacity building and sustainable livelihood of the regional communities in the context of an emerging market. Based in insights from the prior studies, this research identifies certain gaps and attempts to fill the vacuum in the literature of community capacity building. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the hypothesised model using 346 responses drawn from survey participants. The study findings show that NTFPs positively and significantly affect the sustainable livelihood and productivity of the local communities in the selected forest regions. Further, association between NTFPs and community capacity building was found positive. Moreover, community capacity building plays a mediating role in the link between NTFPs and sustainable livelihood. These research findings lend empirical support to the limited literature on community capacity building and provide cues to the policymakers to devise effective strategies and initiatives.