Journal of Environmental Biology

Evaluating the stakeholder’s potential for NTFP entrepreneurship development using the SWOT-AHP framework in Gurez Himalaya

M.A. Islam*, U. Atta, A.A. Wani, A.A. Gatoo, M. Shah, P.A. Khan, K.A. Sofi and A.A. Parrey      

Division of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K, Ganderbal-191 201, India

Received: 13 September 2025                   Revised: 07 April 2025                   Accepted: 27 May 2026

*Corresponding Author Email : ajaztata@gmail.com                    *ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4081-9120

Abstract

Aim: This study employed the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)-AHP (analytic hierarchy process) framework to evaluate the stakeholders’ potential for Non-timber forest products (NTFP) entrepreneurship development through multi-criteria decision-making insights in Gurez Himalaya.

Methodology: Multi-stage random sampling technique was adopted to select 3 sub-divisions, 18 villages, and 337 NTFP stakeholders for the survey. Data were collected through 36 focus group discussions, two conducted in each village, to evaluate the NTFP stakeholders’ perceptions of SWOT categories (4) and factors (16) for NTFP entrepreneurship development. Descriptive statistics, pair-wise preference ranking and SWOT-AHP framework were used for data analysis.

Results: Results indicated that strengths had the highest global priority weight (0.500), followed by opportunities (0.319), weaknesses (0.119), and threats (0.062) among the NTFP stakeholders for NTFP entrepreneurship development. The prospects (strengths + opportunities) (0.819) outweighed the challenges (weaknesses + threats) (0.181), and the internal factors (strengths + weaknesses) (0.619) prevailed over the external factors (opportunities + threats) (0.381) for NTFP entrepreneurship development. Stakeholders possessed significant potential for NTFP entrepreneurship development; however, various limitations impeded its implementation.

Interpretation: These findings serve as the foundation for policy implications to prioritize and address significant challenges and exploit the prospects for conceptualizing, devising, and executing strategies for enhancing NTFP-based entrepreneurial development. NTFP stakeholders’ perceptions of SWOT will be the fundamental elements that could be stimulated in the multi-criteria decision-making process for scaling up NTFP entrepreneurship in Gurez Himalaya.

Key words: AHP framework, Entrepreneurship, Gurez Himalaya, NTFP entrepreneurship, SWOT analysis

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