Analysis of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Value Chain in Albania

Imami, Drini; Ibraliu, Alban; Fasllia, Ndoc; Gruda, Nazim; Skreli, Engjell

doi:10.1007/s10343-015-0354-0

Cited by 13 publications

(22 citation statements)

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“…In recent decades, land use has been characterised by an extension of agricultural and building land to the detriment of forests and wetlands. These developments reduce the availability of gathering areas [8,18,20,22].…”

Section: Land Use and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Especially when intensive, commercial gathering takes place with unsustainable harvesting techniques, the availability of wild plants may be limited by gathering practices. For example competition for wild plant resources may lead to early harvesting and the harvesting of herb stalks with sickles, instead of picking the leaves by hand [8]. Furthermore, unsustainable gathering of the roots of plants, for example uprooting the whole rhizome of the royal fern (Osmunda regalis) instead of leaving parts underground, may easily cause damage to the population [24].…”

Section: Gathering Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Incomementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gatherers' income can range from a little extra money to a significant proportion of household income [8,32]. For example in Albania, whole villages depend on the income brought in by wild plant gathering [8], whereas in organic farming in Austria, wild plant products are perceived to play a peripheral role with regard to product ranges and income [7]. Its economic relevance may be a decisive factor behind engaging in wild plant gathering and those with lower incomes might be more likely to engage in wild plant gathering, as for example in Finland, where people were found to engage more frequently in commercial wild berry harvesting in regions where income levels were lower [29].…”

Section: Incomementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Farmers are land and forest owners throughout Europe and are supposedly closely connected to their land. They gather, process and commercialise a diversity of traditional and innovative plant-based NTFP in, for example, Albania [8], Austria [7,9,10], Spain [11] or the United Kingdom [1]. Although the relevance of farmers to NTFP commercialisation is evident, the knowledge base is limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conceptualising the Factors that Influence the Commercialisation of Non-Timber Forest Products: The Case of Wild Plant Gathering by Organic Herb Farmers in South Tyrol (Italy)

2019

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The gathering and commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFP) in Europe has repeatedly been praised for its potential to support rural development. However, political support mechanisms explicitly targeting NTFP remain underdeveloped. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the design of support mechanisms by understanding the factors that influence the commercialisation of wild plants by organic farmers. We first developed a conceptual framework based on fifteen factors and then applied the framework to a case study in South Tyrol (Alto Adige), Italy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all fourteen members of the Vereinigung Südtiroler Kräuteranbauer (Associazione Coltivatori Sudtirolesi Piante Officinali), who commercialised wild plant species, and the data were then analysed using qualitative content analysis. Agricultural intensification, pesticide drift, limited access to gathering sites suitable for organic certification, legal restrictions, lack of consumer awareness about the additional value of organic wild plant certification, and limited product diversity were perceived as limiting factors; management techniques in organic farming, organic certification, a trend for wild, regional and healthy foods, the availability of training, and favourable cultural values and attitudes towards wild plant gathering were perceived as supportive. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of the many diverse factors that may influence wild plant commercialisation in Europe and beyond and provides guidance on how political support mechanisms could unlock the much heralded potential of wild plant commercialisation for rural development.

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Section: Land Use and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gathering Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%