CIFOR 's PRESENTATION AT WORLD BANK/CGIAR/NARS CONSULTATION ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA BY OUSSEYNOU NDOYE Regional Coordinator for Central and West Africa

CIFOR MISSION Contribution of forests to the well-being of forest dwellers in the tropics in general, and in West and Central Africa in particular Sustainable management of forest resources

Recent efforts by CIFOR: December 2001, Seminar on Forests for poverty alleviation 1- Share research results amongst each scientist 2- Identify key issues that CIFOR needs to address in the near future 3- Identify key messages that CIFOR wants to make

Several research programs in West and Central Africa  World comparison of NTFP in collaboration with research institutions in WCA (LBG, university of Yaounde, CENRAD...)  Environmental services and enhanced rural livelihood in the forest margins of West and Central Africa in collaboration with IITA  Production and marketing of NTFP in West-Central Africa  Impact of macroeconomic and agricultural policies on forest condition in Gabon  Contribution of certification to tropical forest conservation, small-scale enterprises and NTFP in collaboration with UNEP/GEF

Research activities fulfill one or more of these goals Understand the causes of poverty Understand or measure the scope/range/intensity of poverty Understand or measure the effects of poverty on forests or other resources Develop methods for measuring poverty Produce knowledge that can assist in reducing poverty Use knowledge generated to develop concrete measures to alleviate rural poverty through a participatory approach

Importance of rural non-farm activities within CIFOR:case of NTFP NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Products) are fruits, leaves, nuts, barks, fuelwood, bushmeat etc… Several research programs at CIFOR deal with some aspects of NTFP, but There is a program called Forest Products and People that deals exclusively with this sector

WHY NTFP BECAME MORE IMPORTANT IN WCA Forests are disappearing rapidly The economic crisis of the 1980s brought farmers to diversify their incomes to minimize risk The devaluation of the CFA Franc increased the price of pharmaceutical products and many rural dwellers and poor urban households use forest products as a main source of medicine

NTFP AND RURAL LIVELIHOOD NTFP are safety nets for rural households in the hungry season or when there is crop failure NTFP are the resource niches of poor rural households Gathering and marketing at the local level are mostly done by women and children NTFP can empower women and increase their contribution to household incomes

NTFP AND RURAL LIVELIHOOD (continued) NTFP are important medicinal products CIFOR survey shows that medicinal plants are widely used by over 70% rural communities Traditional medicine is more affordable than modern medicine in treating common ailments

NTFP AND RURAL LIVELIHOOD (CONT) Type of illnessCost to cure illness using western pharmaceuticals (CFA Francs) Cost to cure illness using traditional medicine (CFA Franc) Cost differential between pharmaceutical and traditional medicine Malaria Measle Scabies Rheumatism Hemorrhoid Cold/caugh Gonorrhoea Yellow fever Back pain (+71%) (+72%) (+83%) (+75%) (+72%) (+73%) (+37%) (+70%) (+70%)

NTFP AND RURAL LIVELIHOOD: COCOA AND NTFP (CFA F/KG) Product Cocoa Irvingia spp. Ricinodendron

MARKET POTENTIAL CIFOR research showed that the half-year sales value of 9 NTFP in 28 markets of the Humid Forest Zone of Cameroon reached USD 1.94 million in 1996 France and Belgium import annually 100 tons of Gnetum spp. (a leafy vegetable) worth 2 billion CFA Francs (USD 2.9 million) in the French and Belgian markets

CONSTRAINTS TO NTFP SECTOR Local markets are thin, meaning that a small change in supply has large effect on the quantity marketed There is high transportation cost in moving NTFP from rural to urban centers There are ineffective policies and legislations Production and processing methods are rudimentary

STRATEGIC ACTIONS AND PARTNERSHIP TO IMPROVE RURAL LIVELIHOOD

IMPROVE REGULATIONS AND POLICIES AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF NTFP Rules governing production and trade of NTFP are in general not transparent They create high barriers to entry for rural communities to engage in large-scale trade and exports Need to allow rural communities to get more involved in production and trade of NTFP Need to eliminate roadblocks, which increase transaction costs Need to harmonize NTFP policies in WCA to promote integration of regional markets

STUDY OF THE COSTS OF CURRENT LEGISLATIONS Need to document what governments and the society are losing with current regulations and NTFP policies and propose alternatives CIFOR in collaboration with NARIs in WCA

DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS FROM NTFP MARKET MONITORING Empower stakeholders involved in production and marketing of NTFP in WCA Improve stakeholders’ marketing strategies and incomes CIFOR in collaboration with NARIs, rural NGOs

SUSTAINABLE METHODS OF HARVESTING NTFP Increase economic and biodiversity values of NTFP Improve management of more vulnerable NTFP Insure sustainability of NTFP Increase the return to labor CIFOR in collaboration with ICRAF, NARIs

Domestication and cultivation of major NTFP in farming systems Increase the revenues of rural communities Reduce the pressure on forest resources Increase the supply of NTFP Reduce the thinness of markets CIFOR in collaboration with ICRAF, IPGRI,NARIs