Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This study has been carried out in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The empirical context is an ongoing project by FAO in southern Africa, where it is important to strengthen non-wood forest products (NWFPs) through enhancing the production of NWFPs at the community level and integrate smallholders into commercial value chains. The aim for FAO is to enhance sustainable forest management of the Miombo woodlands in Mozambique/Zimbabwe. Recent years NWFPs has received growing interest from research, organizations and development bodies to deal with environmental degradation whilst simultaneously supporting rural livelihoods. However, limited attention has been given to the practical organisation and coordination of such NWFPs trade systems and what implications such trade systems have for rural livelihoods, which then is captured in the purpose of this thesis. The study has focus on three selected NWFPs; caterpillars (harati), honey and baobab. The data has been collected in 4 different districts across the Manica Province: Mossurize, Machaze, Guro and Chimoio based on a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews and observations. Drawing on the concepts of nodes, bricolage and access.

Findings show that NWFPs trade systems in Manica cannot be understood as linear chains but as complex trade systems. The complexity exhibit patterns of coordination with key nodes connecting disperse collection sites and different markets linking Mozambique with Zimbabwe,Malawi, South Africa and urban markets within Mozambique. Mobility opportunities are central to the organization of the trade systems with buses and transport routes connecting products with a demand cross-border. Flexibility, timing, personal relationships and the opportunities that emerge through these mobility patterns are crucial for coordination and organization. Bus drivers and intermediaries often act as key coordinators linking collectors in remote rural areas with buyers in neighboring countries. Findings challenge a simplistic understanding of NWFPs as isolated to remote areas, showing an embeddedness into regional and international markets. While some NWFPs are integrated into formal export-oriented value chains, a substantial share of the trade continues to operate through informal and adaptive arrangements, filling gaps left by formal structures. Important livelihood implications appeared as NWFPs contribute significantly to food security and income generation, particularly during periods of agricultural insecurity. At the same time, increasing commercialization and cross-border demand may reshape local access to resources and create tensions between subsistence use and market-oriented trade.