Challenges and Opportunities of Rural Farmers’ Participation in Reforestation Program in Chobi District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Farmers’ participation in reforestation is very useful for the sustainability of forest management. This research conducted in Chobi district, central of Ethiopia the purpose of this study was to assess challenges and opportunities of rural farmers’ participation in reforestation program. A mixed research design (a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis) was employed and both primary and secondary data were collected. Data were collected through Household survey questionnaire, key informant interview, focus group discussion and personal observation. Descriptive statistics were employed for quantitative analysis while description, narration and content analysis were employed for qualitative analysis. The result of the study revealed that the major practices of participation in reforestation program identified by the rural farmers were tree planting, forest protection and management, area closures and soil and water conservation. The findings also indicated that the major opportunities of rural farmers’ for participating in reforestation program were increase local demand for reforestation, growing awareness of the rural farmers’ on deforestation of the area, control soil erosion and landslides for agricultural production, rural farmers’ culture respect for forest, enhancement of rural farmers’ awareness level on reforestation, get extension services and the presence of the forest policy; and the major challenges of rural farmers’ participation in reforestation program were low income, climate change, deforestation, forest degradation, landslides, low woman participation in reforestation, lack of research and information exchange. Finally, it necessitates to mobilizing rural farmers for reforestation program on sustainable manner.