Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi
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 influenc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00071/full |
| _version_ | 1818127689445277696 |
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| author | Sophie Mahonya Charlie M. Shackleton Kate Schreckenberg |
| author_facet | Sophie Mahonya Charlie M. Shackleton Kate Schreckenberg |
| author_sort | Sophie Mahonya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T07:21:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b34e26ddb8fc4b4cba389610d07a81a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T07:21:21Z |
| publishDate | 2019-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj.art-b34e26ddb8fc4b4cba389610d07a81a72022-12-22T01:16:06ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2019-11-01210.3389/ffgc.2019.00071463527Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest MalawiSophie Mahonya0Charlie M. Shackleton1Kate Schreckenberg2Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South AfricaDepartment of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South AfricaDepartment of Geography, King's College London, London, United KingdomThe 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.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00071/fulldeforestationincomeMalawinon-timber forest productssellingtrade |
| spellingShingle | Sophie Mahonya Charlie M. Shackleton Kate Schreckenberg Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi Frontiers in Forests and Global Change deforestation income Malawi non-timber forest products selling trade |
| title | Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi |
| title_full | Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi |
| title_fullStr | Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi |
| title_full_unstemmed | Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi |
| title_short | Non-timber Forest Product Use and Market Chains Along a Deforestation Gradient in Southwest Malawi |
| title_sort | non timber forest product use and market chains along a deforestation gradient in southwest malawi |
| topic | deforestation income Malawi non-timber forest products selling trade |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00071/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sophiemahonya nontimberforestproductuseandmarketchainsalongadeforestationgradientinsouthwestmalawi AT charliemshackleton nontimberforestproductuseandmarketchainsalongadeforestationgradientinsouthwestmalawi AT kateschreckenberg nontimberforestproductuseandmarketchainsalongadeforestationgradientinsouthwestmalawi |