Commercialization of non-timber forest products. Factors influencing success. Lessons learned from Mexico and Bolivia and policy implications for decision- makers. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 23.

2006·5.9 MB·English

by  Marshall, E., Schreckenberg, K., Newton, A.C., Willem te Velde, D., Rushton, J., Perez, L., Viscarra, C., Arancibia, E., Maldonado, F., Enriquez, C., Rodriguez, I., Lopez, F., Edouard, F., Quero, R., Illsley, C., Gomez, T., de los Santos, J., Flores, J. C., Gonzalez, A., Bojanic, A.

Commercialization
of
non-timber forest products
Factors influencing success
Lessons learned from Mexico and Bolivia
and policy implications for decision-makers
Editors:
E. Marshall, K. Schreckenberg, A.C. Newton
WCMC
QNEP
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive
in 2010 witii funding from
UNEP-WCIVIC, Cambridge
Iittp://www.arcliive.org/details/commercializatio06mars
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Commercialization
of
non-timber forest products
Factors influencing success
Lessons learned fronn Mexico and Bolivia
and policy innplications for decision-makers
Editors:
WCMC E. Marshall, K. Schreckenberg, A.C. Newton
VEP
UNEP WCMC
Sponsor
UNEPWorldConservationMonitoringCentre
219 Huntingdon Road
CambridgeCB30DL, UK This publication is an output from a research project funded by
Tel.:+a101 12232773U the United Kingdom Department for International Development
Fax:+a101 1223277136 [DFIDI for the benefit of developing countries. The views
expressed are not necessarily those of DFID. IR7925 Forestry
PublicationandCD-ROMcontentsdownloadablefronn project Research Programme!
website:www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/ntfp.
DFID Deputmorifor
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theUnited NationsEnvironmentProgrammelUNEPl,theworlds
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Centre has been in operation for over 25 years, combining
Collaborating organizations
scientificresearchwithpracticalpolicyadvice.
UNEP-WCMC provides objective, scientifically rigorous
products and services to help decision-makers recognize the
value of biodiversity and apply this knowledge to all that they Overseas Development Institute
do. Its core business is managing data about ecosystems and
biodiversity, interpreting and analysing that data to provide
assessmentsandpolicyanalysis.andmakingtheresultsavailable
tonationalandinternationaldecision-makersand businesses. Bournemouth University
Recommended citation; Marshall. E.. Schreckenberg. K. and
Newton.A.C.ledsl2006.CommercializationofNon-timberForest
Products: Factors Influencing Success. Lessons Learned from ^# CARE
MexicoandBoliviaandPolicyImplicationsforDecision-makers. care
UNEPWorldConservation MonitoringCentre.Cambridge. UK.
ASansonproduction Grupo Mesofilo
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Productioneditors: Karen Eng. Helen de Mattos
Printed byCambridge Printers. UK
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©UNEPWorldConsen/ation MonitoringCentre,2006 GEA.
ISBN92-807-2677-3
MethodusConsuUora
^Mg^^
ReddeAprendizaje. Intercambioy
SistematizactondeExpenencias
ISES hacialaSustentabilidad
Thecontenlsofthisreportdonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsorpolicies
ofDFID.theUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgrammeortheUNEPWorld
Conservation Monitoring Centre. The designations employed and the
presentationsdonotimplytheexpressionsofanyopinionwhatsoeveron
thepartoftheseorganizationsconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,
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frontiersorboundaries.
Authors Acknowledgements
Elaine Marshall We gratefully acknowledge the generous participation
UNEPWorld Conservation Monitoring Centre of the case study communities and market traders in the
lUNEP-WCMC), 219 Huntingdon Road research process,withoutwhomthisprojectwould nothave
CambridgeCB3ODL. UK been possible.Wethankcommunityauthoritiesand leaders
E-mail: [email protected] of campesino organizations for helping us to obtain the
[email protected] necessarydata.
With many thanks for the encouragement and
KathrinSchreckenberg, DirkWillemteVelde constructive feedback from our reviewers: Mike Arnold
Overseas Development Institute(ODD and anonymous Forestry Research Programme external
111 WestminsterBridge Road reviewer; Hannah Jaenicke, Margaret Marshall. Neville Ash
LondonSE1 7JD, UK and Kaveh Zahedi.
E-mail: k.schreckenberg@odi,org.uk Our thanks also to the many participants at
the inception workshops in Mexico and Bolivia in 2001.
A.C. Newton including Esteban Garcia Peha. Emma Beltran. Cintia
Schoolof Conservation Sciences Aldana, Philip Bubb. Katnn Linzer. Ruben Leigue. Fernando
Bournemouth University. Talbot Campus Guadarama. Alvaro Gonzalez. Jorge Lopez and Diana
Poole. Dorset BH12 5BB, UK Pritchard. Thanks also to Charlotte Boyd for making that
E-mail: [email protected] invaluablefirstcontactpointforworkingwithODIandSavitri
Abeyasekera for reviewing and providing feedback on our
Jonathan Rushton, Luis Perez, CeciliaViscarra statisticalapproaches. Corinna Ravilious prepared the case
CEVEP, Casilla 10474, La Paz. Bolivia study maps and James OCarroll designed the CEPFOR
E-mail: [email protected] project website; Katelijne Rothschild Van Look and Jody
Sunley provided generous project administration support.
ErikArancibia, Florencio Maldonado, Our thanks to Duncan Golicher for assistance with the
CesarEnriquez. Isidro Rodriguez, Fausto Lopez development of the Bayesian belief network, and to Olivier
CARE. Casilla 6034. La Paz. Bolivia Cottray and Finbarr OSullivan for designing the Java
E-mail: [email protected] interfaceforthedecisionsupporttool.
[email protected] Last, butmostcertainlynotleast,theCEPFORteam
www.carebolivia org is especially grateful to John Palmer for his unerring
supportofthisproject.
FabriceEdouard, RadayQuero
MethodusConsultora. Crespo 524D
ColCentro. Oaxaca. OaxCP68000 Mexico
E-mail:[email protected]
[email protected]
www.raisesorg
Catarina lllsley,TonantzinGomez
Grupo de EstudiosAmbientales.Allende7
Santa Ursula Coapa, Mexico DFCP04650. Mexico
E-mail: gea@laneta,apc.org
Janett de losSantos,Juan Carlos Flores,
Alvaro Gonzalez
Grupo Mesofilo. PinoSuarez205
Centro Historico Oaxaca. Oaxaca. 68000. Mexico
E-mail:[email protected]@hotmail.com
Alan Bojanic
E-mail: [email protected]
I
Commercialization of non-timberforest products
Foreword
Thechallengesofaddressingglobalpovertyinasustainable This collaborative venture between UK institutions and
wayaregreaterthan ever.Thewell-being ofmorethan half project partners in Bolivia and Mexico provides a deeper
of the 1.2 billion people who live in poverty depends to a understanding of how marketing networks are structured,
significant degree on the availability of non-timber forest and how NTFP commercialization can contribute to
products iNTFPs). Such products are used to meet daily widergoals.
subsistenceneeds,makingasignificantcontributiontofood Results of the research indicate that successful
security, and also provide a valuable source of building NTFP commercialization can reduce poverty, and can
materials and medicines. In addition, trade in NTFPs often providewomenwith agreatersenseofself-confidenceand
provides an important source of cash income for the rural improved status within the household and the community.
poor Populations in forested areas are increasingly being However, there remains a need to help the rural poor
subjected to changes brought about by economic growth overcome thevarious challenges that constrain successful
and are being presented with new opportunities to engage NTFP commercialization, including securing a sustainable
intrade.Thisistransforming thewaythatforestsareused. resource supply, accessing market information and
Theopportunities for low-income producers to use natural developing ways ofovercoming uneven powerand barriers
assets to reduce poverty are significant, but this potential tomarketentry.Thispublicationsummarizesthe resultsof
canonlyberealized ifthe rightsupportis provided. the project, in a way that should provide direct support to
The potential contribution of NTFPs to poverty decision-making. Our hope is that the findings and
reductionthroughsustainabletradeandincomegeneration recommendations of this work will help policy-makers
IS not being fully realized. There are many obstacles to directtheirworkandtargettheirresourcestohelpmeetthe
subsistencefarmers,localprocessorsandtraderssecuring United Nations Millennium Development Goals of reducing
a reliableand fairmarketfortheirharvested products.The povertyandensuring environmentalsustainability.
capacity of the poor needs to be increased to fully benefit
fromthevarietyofservicesand goodsthatsustainable use
of biodiversity can provide. Effective local governance and
an enabling policy environment are needed to protect the
natural resource base upon which rural livelihoods relyso
heavily. Also, access is needed to information on how
successful NTFP commercialization can be achieved in
practice, so that external support and donor investments
can be targeted moreeffectively.
This research project, funded by the UK's
Department for International Development through its TheRightHonourableHilaryBennMP
Forestry Research Programme, has examined the key SecretaryofStateforInternationalDevelopment
factors that influence successful NTFP commercialization. GovernmentoftheUnitedKingdom
I
Executivesummary
summary
Executive
Commercialization of non-timber forest
products iNTFPsI has been widely promoted
as an approach to rural development
in tropical forest areas. However, donor
investments in the development of NTFP
resources have often failed to deliver the
expected benefits in terms of poverty
alleviation and improved conservation of
natural resources. In order to ensure that
NTFPs fulfil their potential contribution to
sustainable development, it is important to
understand the reasons for success and
failure,andtheconditionsunderwhich NTFP
commercialization can make a positive
contribution tothe livelihoodsofthe poor.
This publication presents the findings
of the CEPFOR project ICommercialization of
non-timber forest products in Mexico and
Bolivia: factors influencing success), a multi-
disciplinary research initiative involving part-
ners drawn from the UK, Mexico and Bolivia.
The research team critically examined the
factors influencing successful NTFP com-
mercialization and tested and further devel-
oped theory relating tothe commercialization
of NTFPs and rural development. Socio-
economic and marl<et research examined the
impact of different NTFP commercialization
networl<s lvalue chains! on poverty reduction,
women's livelihoods, natural resources and FlyingfromLaPazdovKntotherubberandcocoacommunitieslocatedintfie
rights and access of the poor, in eight BolivianAmazon.
communities in Bolivia and 10 in Mexico. The
structure and function of 16 NTFP value chains were tSuccess should not simply be defined at the
analysed,enablingidentificationoftheattributesthatmal<ea product level; success should be defined in
chain successful. The main findings of the CEPFOR project relationtothe needsofpeople.
arepresented below. tDifferent actors along a product value chain
may have very different perceptions of what
SUCCESSFULCOMMERCIALIZATION MEANSDIFFERENT constitutessuccess.
THINGSTODIFFERENTPEOPLE tSuccess can usefully be considered at different
Success cannot be summarized by a single variable, and levels, including households and the individuals
community perceptions of success need to be assessed within them, communities, and at district or
and incorporated in project planning and evaluation. Key nationallevel.
findingsinclude: »At each level there are social, economic and
There is a need to engage directly with com- environmentalaspectsofsuccess.
munitiesandotherstakeholdersinthe NTFPvalue tDefinitions of success may be dynamic, changing
chain, to jointly identify criteria of success and m response to variations in socio-economic
discussthetrade-offsthatmightbeneeded. circumstancesand thebehaviourofthemarket.
Commercialization ofnon-timberforest products
NTFPACTIVITIESPROVIDEANIMPORTANT improved management of the natural resource
OPPORTUNITYFORPOVERTYREDUCTION and betterharvesting practicesarecommon.
NTFPs are important in the lives of the rural poor, and t Ifland is held privatelyand the plantcan beeasily
incomevariesgreatlyevenbetw/een householdsengaged in propagated, individuals begin to engage in small-
thesameactivity. Keyfindings includethatNTFPactivities: scaledomestication.
tcontribute betvi/een7percentand 95percentofa IThere isnoevidencethatNTFPcommercialization
householdsannualcash income; reduces access rights to the wild resource for
Iregularly provide a safety net for the poor to the poor.
fall back on when other activities - such as t Industrial plantations can displace harvesters
subsistenceagricultureorcash crops likecoffee- of the wild resource as well as small-scale
failtodeliverasexpected; collectors/cultivators.
Isometimesprovideasteppingstonetoa non-poor
lite, and neverlead toan increase in poverty. THEREISLITTLEPOLICYORLEGISLATIONSPECIFIC
TONTFPsINEITHERMEXICOORBOLIVIA
NTFPACTIVITIESOFTENINVOLVEPOORPEOPLEBUTMAY Improvedcross-sectoralcoordinationwouldhelpensurethat
ALSOINVOLVETHELESSPOOR poorproducers, processorsand tradersare betterplaced to
Hhe importance of NTFPs in household livelihood meet the legislative and institutional requirements for
strategiesiscloselylinkedtotheirseasonalityand successfulNTFPcommercialization. Keyfindingsinclude:
thewaytheymaybecombinedwithotherincome- tCommunities are often obliged to trade NTFPs in
generatingactivities. theinformalsectorbecausetheylackthecapacity
Hhe more months a product can be traded, the to complywith the legalrequirementsforformal-
more favourably households view the activity. sectorcommercialization.
Conversely, households involved in seasonal tNGO involvement can be important, but currently
products are more likely to switch from NTFP most NGO support is provided through donor-
activities to other livelihood options, reflecting funded projects, which are rarelycoordinatedwith
theirdesire tora more consistent andyear-round governmentprogrammes.
sourceofincome. increased national policy interest in NTFP
commercialization is justified on the basis of its
NTFPACTIVITIESCANPROVIDEWOMENWITHA contribution to national economic development,
GREATERSENSEOFSELF-CONFIDENCEANDIMPROVED locallivelihoodsand conservation.
STATUSWITHINTHEHOUSEHOLDANDTHECOMMUNITY All the products studied could benefit from
NTFPactivities are one of the few cash-generating oppor- being marketed as speciality (e.g. organic or
tunitiesforwomen in marginalized ruralcommunities. Key community-traded! products. However, certifica-
findings include: tion costs could place trading beyond the reach of
>Fewproductvaluechains involveonlywomen.The small-scale producers.
involvement of both men and women can make
an activity economically viable at household level NTFPVALUECHAINSAREHIGHLYDYNAMIC
becauseskillsand timeareshared. Producers, processors and traders show a remarkable
>Women are more likelythan mento be involved in degreeofresiliencetoexternalshocksand a greatabilityto
processingandcultivationactivities. adapt to changing contexts. Regardless of the governance
tLabour-saving technical innovation can improve of a value chain, the ability to negotiate prices and define
the low returns to labour of women's NTFP the rules of trade is vital in determining the satisfaction
activities. levels of poor producers, processors and traders in NTFP
valuechains. Keyfindingsinclude:
INTHEMAJORITYOFCASES, INCREASED Innovation, both intermsofresourcemanagement
COMMERCIALIZATION INITIALLYLEADS and product processing and marketing, is often
TOOVEREXPLOITATIONOFTHERESOURCE criticalto maintaining marketshare.
Tenure is a key factor in determining community and tAspecialized marketnicheand productqualitycan
individualstrategiestomitigateoverexploitationandensure helpprotectagainstsubstitution.
that NTFP supply is sufficient to meet the demands of tMost NTFP value chains are demand driven, and
increasedcommercialization. Keyfindingsinclude: establishing a new one solely on the basis of
>In the case of communally owned resources. existingsupplyisunlikelytosucceed.