Forest-poverty-commodity links in the Congo Basin: A value chain perspective

THINKING beyond the canopy THINKING beyond the canopy

Forest-poverty-commodity links in the Congo Basin: A value chain perspective

Verina Ingram

Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Central Africa

[email protected]

NATURE INC? QUESTIONING

THE MARKET PANACEA IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND CONSERVATION

International Conference 30 June – 2 July 2011 ISS, The Hague, The Netherlands

THINKING beyond the canopy

Background Congo Basin Forests

FORESTS

POVERTY

DEVELOPMENT

COMMODITIES

• High forest cover (67%), globally 2nd largest intact humid

forest, rich & unique biodiversity, low but increasing

degradation & deforestation

• Low levels development, 61% >$2 day, 46% population

in/near forests

• High corruption, fragile states, weak governance, high

inequality, difficult business environment

• Economic resource: commercial logging = export

revenues 87.5 million US$ (1-6% of GDP), 23% forest

cover allocated to timber leases

• NTFPs long history as commodities but hidden: value and

resource availability largely unknown. Fears over-

exploitation. Conflicting conservation–development

interests

THINKING beyond the canopy

Aims & Research Questions

Gnetum africana

Aim Explore forest-poverty-commodity link using NTFP value chains to assess (sustainable) livelihoods of those engaged in the chains originating from the Congo Basin.

Questions 1. What is the significance of NTFPs to the livelihoods (economic, socio-cultural & environmental) of actors in value chains? 2. How sustainable are NTFP species, chains and livelihoods?

THINKING beyond the canopy

Study sites

9 NTFP Chains

Honey

Gnetum spp.

Irvingia spp.

Prunus africana

Bamboo

Cola spp.

Raffiia spp.

Gum arabica

Dacryodes edulis

Bas Congo

Bandundu

&Équateur

Oriental

North & Extreme

North

Northwest

&

Southwest

Centre, South,

East

Adamaoua

Littoral

xxxxxxx

xxxxxxx

xx

THINKING beyond the canopy

Meth

odolo

gy

Selection •Actor sample and production zones selection – Stakeholder interviews (2007)

Field work

•Prunus Inventory - 3 zones (2007-2008)

•Prunus Bark regeneration post-harvest study – 4 zones (2009)

•Botanic survey melliferous plants – 2 zones (2008, 2010)

VCA

2007-2010

• Structured actor household interviews (25% sample of actors in chains ) = 4370 actors (including 703 consumers), 288 villages, 178 markets

•40 focus group interviews & 7 problem analysis workshops in 4 cities (2006-2009)

•Market surveys – 5 major markets (2007-2010)

PAR

•Participatory action research: SWOTs, stakeholder analysis, participatory Prunus management plan, chemical and physical analysis of honey, wax and propolis, entrepreneurial skills training, setting up a Honey Export Scheme for the European market, Geographic Origin Indication, national honey profiling and pilot Market Information Systems.

•Capacity building events; Group organisation, business skills, harvesting, production & processing (honey & Prunus) training, legal framework awareness & revision

Analysis

•Data analysis SPSS and Excel, TIAMA, interpretation satellite images, SWOT, GIS mapping

•Preliminary findings verified in meetings /workshops & peer cross-checked

Outputs

•Value chain maps: visualisations, MIS systems

•Reports: Problem analyses workshop reports, Baseline Chain reports Prunus Inventory & Management Plan Guideline, Assessment sustainable harvest methods, Harvest and inventory norms (GTZ + CIFOR), Botanic survey melliferous plants, Summary actors recommendations Revision of Forestry Laws

•Actors’ groupings: Prunus Platform, Scientific Group supporting CITES Authority, Honey Federations

•Policy briefs: NTFPs in Cameroon & DRC Product sheets: 5 Cameroon & 3 DRC

Review

• Literature review - NTFPs in Cameroon and VCs

THINKING beyond the canopy

Irvingia spp.

Score Value

1 = Subsistence or low level own/local consumption (for cultural,

medicinal, food, tools, construction use etc.)

2 = Multiple use species (own consumption)

Limited trade (Local trade or barter/exchange)

2.5 = Multiple use and local regional trade

3 = Wide scale trade (important revenue source for livelihoods,

regional to national and international trade)

Multiple use species (consumption and trade)

Major consumption (important cultural, medicinal, food, tools,

construction use)

Species classified as protected or vulnerable

4 = Major consumption and wide scale trade nationally and/or

internationally and/or protected species

Assessing multiple commodity

values

Low

High

Wilkie 1999; Clark and Sunderland 2004; Zapfack and Ngobo 2001

Acacia spp.

Gum arabic

THINKING beyond the canopy

Apiculture: Beeswax

Values

Subsistence &

income

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

% Sold

% Consumed

% given as gifts

% barterd

% Perished

% of total production

Average use of 9 NTFPs in Cameroon & DRC by harvesters

Sco

re

00

02

04

06

08

10

12

Multiple values score

Number of uses

THINKING beyond the canopy

Xx

Harvester

Processor

Wholesaler

Exporter

Retailer0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

10437 8629 8953

11563 A

nn

ual

ave

rage

d h

ou

seh

old

inco

me

(2

00

7-2

00

9)

US$

NTFP Chain & Country

NTFP incomes chain actors Cameroon & DRC

Average Cameroon US$ 2968

Average DRC US$ 1065

8000

10000

Risk taking, processing &

collective action add value:

up to 50% higher profits

THINKING beyond the canopy

Numbers of actors per regional NTFP market chain

- 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

Gnetum SW Lit

Apiculture NW, SW, A

Prunus NW SW

Irvingia SW, C, S, L, E

Gum arabic EN

Bamboo NW SW C Litt

Cola NW W E

Rhapia NW W E

TOTAL CAMEROON

Fumbwa

Safou

Apiculture

TOTAL DRC

NTF

P ch

ain

No of direct actors per chain

Annual market value NTFP chains DRC & Cameroon 2007/2008/2009

- 5,000,000 10,000,000 15,000,000 20,000,000 25,000,000 30,000,000 35,000,000

Gnetum SW Lit

Apiculture NW, SW, A

Prunus NW SW

Irvingia SW, C, S, L, E

Gum arabic EN

Bamboo NW SW C Litt

Cola NW W E

Rhapia NW W E

TOTAL CAMEROON

Fumbwa

Safou

Apiculture

TOTAL DRC

NT

FP

ch

ain

Annual market value US$

Livelihoods Employment & Production

THINKING beyond the canopy

Further from the forest..... income increases

Harvester Processor Wholesaler Exporter Retailer

382 416 2293 1276 9715

Averaged (2007-2009) contribution of 9 NTFPs in DRC & Cameroon to annual household income (US$)

Images: Apiculture chain, Cameroon

THINKING beyond the canopy

Contribution to livelihoods….

55%

Actors,

57% total

income

Av. 7

SD. 5

years

Majority NTFP income used for basic needs

Important for women, involved in high

income stages & chains

long term contribution to livelihoods

& increasing newcomers

Av.

89%

5

years

Easy cash

Increasing demand 75-95% for food,

education,

housing,

medical needs

Low entry costs

& barriers

THINKING beyond the canopy

Harvester Processor Wholesaler Exporter Retailer

% ranking specfic NTFP as primary source of actors’ annual household income

Beyond the forest....

38% 23% 37% Xx

dependence increases

42% 52%

Images: Gnetum spp. chain, Cameroon

THINKING beyond the canopy

Going beyond the forest... opportunities decrease

Harvester Processor Wholesaler Exporter Retailer

6 5 4 4 2

Averaged (2007-2009) number of sources of income for actors in 9 NTFP chains in DRC & Cameroon

Images: Prunus africana chain, Cameroon

THINKING beyond the canopy

Moving beyond the forest..... uses decrease

Harvester Processor Wholesaler Exporter Retailer

6 5 4 4 2

Averaged (2007-2009) number of uses of NTFPs by actors/consumers 9 NTFP chains in DRC & Cameroon

Images: Irvingia spp. chain, Cameroon

THINKING beyond the canopy

• 55-57% use destructive techniques -

vulnerable products (barks, leaves)

• 10%-26% use unsustainable techniques

- less vulnerable (honey, bamboo)

• Low levels & recent domestication in

high value chains (Gnetum)

• Higher domestication levels in long

established chains (cola, raffia, safou, gum)

• Domestication too recent to cope with

increased demand

• Negative indicators last 5 years:

• Increasing demand for all products

• Increasing distances to harvest

• Increasing time spent searching

• Reduction in volumes harvested

• Increasing newcomers to trade

especially ‘foreigners’

• Bans & trade suspensions (Prunus, honey)

Photo: K Stewart

Prunus africana

and in the forest.... sustainability decreases

THINKING beyond the canopy

RESULTS: Cause for concern?

Yes! when combined with context of the NTFP chains :

• Little chain wide communication between actors on prices & availability

• High urban demand

• Easy to access

• Destructive harvest techniques used

• Other anthropogenic threats exist

• Largely open access resource

• Low levels of cultivation & domestication

• Variable governance voids/excesses:

– Little or ineffective formal regulations

– Unenforced

– Largely unkown

– Absent customary governance

• High levels of corruption

THINKING beyond the canopy

Gnetum spp.

Dacryodes

edulis

.

Garcinia kola

.

Irvingia spp.

• Positive livelihoods impacts of forest dwellers, rural & urban chain actors

• Multiple roles = multi-use, cash, safety net, gap filler and cushion

• Some traded NTFPs can lift people out of poverty

• But also poverty traps: reliance on a dwindling resource

• Wide variances in history & sustainability of chains

• Short term profit seeking & unsustainable harvest practices threaten long

term livelihoods

• Actors further from forest uninformed & un-engaged in chain custody for

long term, sustainable supply.

• Overlapping, conflicting bricolage of customary, regulatory, certification &

‘’project’’ governance hinders sustainable management

• In this context, wild harvest = unsustainable harvest

• Harvest techniques, cultivation & domestication increased sustainability &

profit + changed values

• Stakeholders open to participate in formulating policy & practical

measures to address both ‘’beauty’’ and ‘’beast’’ when aware of risks

Conclusions: A panacea for some…

THINKING beyond the canopy THINKING beyond the canopy

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

is one of the 15 centres supported by the Consultative

Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

Thank you!

www.cifor.cgiar.org [email protected]