Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi

Abstract

The importance of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to rural livelihoods is widely acknowledged globally, as is the income generated from casual or fulltime trade on village and urban markets. However, there is less understanding of how the condition or status of the neighboring landscapes influence the use of and trade in NTFPs. Here we report on the use and trade in NTFPs in four villages situated along a gradient of decreasing forest cover in southwest Malawi using a mixed-methods approach. Data were sourced via a survey of 286 households, value chain analysis of the four most commonly traded NTFPs (thatch grass, edible orchids, mushrooms, and wild fruits), key informant interviews with NTFP traders and direct observations. All households used at least one NTFP, with the most widely used being firewood (100% of households), bamboo (96%), thatch grass (94%), and timber for construction (92%). Overall, 15% of households sold at least one NTFP and the prevalence of selling within a village was correlated with forest cover, whereas buying of NTFPs was inversely correlated with forest cover. There was a wide range in mean annual income (US$20-456) from selling NTFPs based on the product, whether the trader sold on a casual or full-time basis and the market. Of those households selling NTFPs, approximately two-thirds sold more than one NTFP product, which is rarely recognized in income studies of individual market chains. The returns to labor were variable between villages and products, but were generally double or more than the national minimum hourly wage. The NTFP value chains were short, dominated by traders and some intermediaries. Most of the products were sold in local markets with little value addition. Overall, NTFPs were an integral part of the household economy, with multiple participants and users, partly shaped by the forest cover of the surrounding landscapes.

Plant Fibre Crafts Production, Trade and Income in Eswatini, Malawi and Zimbabwe

“…The three countries are generally characterised by high poverty levels and high unemployment rates, with a substantial proportion of the population dependent on land-and farming-based livelihoods, although with growing rural to urban migration. Wild resources, particularly nontimber forest products (NTFPs), are important sources of livelihoods, for both household use and cash income in all the three countries (e.g., [32][33][34]). Further, tourism is vitally important to the economies of all three countries.…”

“…Female crafters in Malawi and Zimbabwe were in the minority. The involvement of women in high-value, resource-based activities such as craft production (wood carving) has been traditionally low in Malawi, and women tend to be mostly involved in low-value activities including fuelwood harvesting and vending forest products [26,33]. The low participation of women in Malawi and Zimbabwe may be attributed to the distance to resource sites.…”

“…The low participation of women in Malawi and Zimbabwe may be attributed to the distance to resource sites. Where sites are far away, females might not have enough time to get there due to other household chores, whereas men can be away as long as they want and can access more distant sites [33]. The high participation of women in Eswatini can be explained by support provision through self-help arrangements and non-profit organisations such as "Gone Rural" and "Tintsaba".…”

“…However, it is injudicious to generalise because although mean income might be low, some households earned well above the mean. Indeed, it has been argued [19,33] that mean income per month or per year is a poor measure for NTFPs because it does not consider the amount of time or effort put into earning that income. People engage in craft trade for many reasons and to different degrees.…”

Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) Exploitation and Household Uses in Bui Division, North West Cameroon

“…orests have value to people and contribute to meeting human needs in a number of ways. The importance of NTFPs to the rural livelihoods of rural people is widely acknowledged globally (Mahonya et al, 2019). Numerous previous studies have found that it is often the poorest people and households that are most dependent on these resources.…”