In some countries, honey and beeswax are so important the term ‘beekeeping’ appears in the titles of some government ministries. The significance of honey and beeswax in local livelihoods is nowhere more apparent than in the Miombo woodlands of southern Africa. Bee-keeping is a vital source of income for many poor and remote rural producers throughout the Miombo, often because it is highly suited to small scale farming. This detailed Non-Timber Forest Product study from Zambia examines beekeeping’s livelihood role from a range of perspectives, including market factors, production methods and measures for harnessing beekeeping to help reduce poverty.The key aim of the study is to generate sufficient information and discussion on the bee-keeping or honey and beeswax industry to support efforts by government of Zambia to develop a beekeeping policy. The report presents initial findings from the beekeeping sector review. The report is structured as follows: Section 1 provides a general introduction, briefly describes the methodology used in the study, and outlines the critical questions, hypotheses and methodology. Section 2 discusses the bio-physical conditions for beekeeping and its relation to forest management. Section 3 provides an overview of the history of beekeeping, the commodity system, sector stakeholders and summarises the characteristics of the beekeeping industry in four case study Provinces, North-Western, Luapula, Central and Eastern Provinces. Section 4 gives insights into the honey marketing chain, from the primary producer to the exporter. Conclusions and recommendations are discussed in Section 5 and 6 respectively.
Tag: case studies
Participatory action research on adaptive collaborative management of community forests: a multi-country model
This case study summary highlights CIFOR and partners’ participatory action research based project entitled ‘Adaptive and Collaborative Management of Community Forests’. The project, which included activities in Asia, Africa and Latin America, explored the potential contribution of collaboration and social learning based forest management to enhancing human and forest ecosystem well-being. The project combined participatory action research with more traditional social and biophysical research to create a valuable multi-country comparison that also had positive local impacts.
Policy impact on woodland resource management, use and conservation in Mozambique: a case study of selected sites in Dondo, Nhamatanda, Gondola and Manica districts
A methodology to analyze divergent case studies of non-timber forest products and their development potential
Debate currently rages over the development potential of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in tropical forests. Proponents of particular “solutions” can refer to evidence (case studies, data) which tend to support their interpretation of events and relationships. Recommendations thus frequently depend on how data are classified and interpreted. Inaccurate or incomplete classification leads to defective subsequent theories, models, and recommendations. We present a method for classifying very divergent case-study data, and some initial results as a basis for general understanding of key factors that influence a given result. Crucial issues determining outcomes of NTFP development include the nature of government involvement, distribution of property rights, the ability of local people to claim and enforce such rights, market transparency, and pressure on the resource. This paper concludes with suggestions for further testing and development of the methodology.
Lack of community participation and benefits threatens the future of Lokoundjé-Nyong Forest in Cameroon
The Lokoundjé-Nyong forest in Cameroon was identified in 1997 through a pilot initiative under the national strategy for sustainable resource use. Supported by Canadian cooperation, the “Zoning Plan of Southern Cameroon” led to the forest’s classification as a forest management unit (FMU) and its designation as a production forest within the private domain of the state. Decree No. 97/073/PM formalized this status. Evaluated as an FAO “In Search of Excellence” case study in 2002, the forest has since undergone notable changes. This report reviews two decades of developments in sustainable forest management practices in the Lokoundjé-Nyong area.
Cattle, broadleaf forests and the agricultural modernization law of Honduras: the case of Olancho
The broadleaf forests of Honduras are among the most extensive in Central America and have been subject to rapid deforestation. Among the important factors in the process of deforestation has been the growth of cattle farming. Structural adjustment policies enacted in 1992 have been directed at overcoming grave economic problems. The authors of the adjustment plans have assumed the same policies will help protect the natural resource base of the country, including its forests. Field research conducted in August – November 1994 sought to understand the effect of the 1992 Agricultural Modernization Law (AML) on the cattle sector and on the management of broadleaf forests in eastern Honduras. The research found that the cattle sector may have benefited from reforms introduced through the new policies (this remains to be proven), while state capabilities in forest conservation and management have clearly declined. The recommendations of this report are to: (1) strengthen the capacity of the state to enforce existing laws aimed at protecting broadleaf forests; (2) revise and amend the provisions of the AML to include provisions aimed specifically at the protection of broadleaf forests; (3) strengthen efforts to harmonise policies among various eco-nomic sectors; (4) conduct a national cadastral survey and implement national land-use planning; and (5) strengthen official support and the policy environment for community-based forest management. There are three further research questions in need of attention: (1) Would intensification of the cattle sector assist efforts to reduce deforestation?; (2) Is halting of road construction in the vicinity of forests a promising way of lowering rates of deforestation?; (3) To what extent is broadleaf deforestation alleviated through attention to the cattle sector alone?
Turning legal analysis and information into a catalyst for change: Innovation case study
Appropriate and effective policies and legislation underpin all efforts to achieve sustainable food production and responsible management of natural resources, including wildlife. In many countries, however, legislative reform is urgently needed to keep pace with changing environmental and social conditions, needs, norms and requirements. Sustainable wildlife management typically involves many different sectors, such as hunting and fishing, land tenure, ecosystem management, food safety and animal production. Consequently, policies and legislation may need to be strengthened or updated within and between these sectors.This publication aims to spark new ways of working to strengthen community-based sustainable wildlife management worldwide.The SWM Programme, which is funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD), seeks to improve community-based sustainable wildlife management. What does this mean in practice? The initiative is working on ways to respect, strengthen and protect the rights of communities who live near wildlife and depend on wildlife resources for food and income, while ensuring the conservation and sustainability of wildlife populations. The SWM Programme supports communities’ efforts to secure formal rights to govern access to, and use of, wildlife within their traditional territories, and to strengthen their capacity to determine how they regulate use of wildlife.
Agroforestry for wood production – Insights from multifunctional smallholder tree-farming systems in Asia and the Pacific
In response to rapidly increasing wood demand in Asia and the Pacific and concurrent limitations in expanding wood production from natural forests and plantations, smallholder tree-farming systems are becoming increasingly important suppliers of wood across the Asia and the Pacific region. Drawing on the recommendations of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission, the present report provides a detailed overview of these systems including enabling factors and strategies for enhancing production, complemented by illustrative case studies. It also offers targeted recommendations for policymakers to facilitate further upscaling of wood production from smallholder systems.
The impacts of oil palm plantations on forests and people in Papua: A case study from Boven Digoel District
Oil palm plantations can be a significant contributor to rural livelihoods in Indonesia. The government seeks to capitalize on this commodity and strengthen Indonesia’s position as the global leader in palm oil production by expanding plantation estates. As the land for new plantation investment in Kalimantan and Sumatra becomes scarce, plantation developers are looking east to acquire land in Papua Province. The rising interest in oil palm plantations in Papua presents potential opportunities but also poses challenges.
Drawing on research findings from Boven Digoel District, one of the key areas for oil palm expansion in Papua, this paper illustrates the dilemma of plantation development in the region by examining the social, economic and environmental impacts.
Plantation development in Boven Digoel District has opened up isolated areas, stimulated the development of infrastructure, generated employment and improved worker incomes. However, the indigenous communities’ reliance on forests for subsistence and their lack of familiarity with oil palm as a cash crop has proven to be a major barrier to effective engagement of the local population. In addition, the decision by the company not to implement an outgrower scheme has led to limited community involvement, rising tensions about land acquisition processes and resentment about low compensation payments.
The development of oil palm plantations has also resulted in deforestation and other negative environmental impacts, such as poor water quality, air pollution and soil erosion. Reducing environmental damage and creating better conditions for the productive engagement of local communities are major challenges for plantation investment in forested frontier regions such as Papua.
The utility of process-based models for simulating N2O emissions from soils: A case study based on Costa Rican coffee plantations
Soil moisture and gaseous N-flux (N2O, N-2) dynamics in Costa Rican coffee plantations were successively simulated using a mechanistic model (PASTIS) and two process-based models (NGAS and NOE). Two fertilized (250 kg N ha(-1) y(-1)) coffee plantations were considered, namely a monoculture and a system shaded by the N-2 fixing legume species Inga densiflora. In situ N2O fluxes were previously measured in these plantations. NGAS and NOE used specific microbial activities for the soils. To parameterize NGAS, we estimated N mineralization via in situ incubations and the contribution of heterotrophic soil respiration to total soil respiration. Potential denitrification rates and the proportion of denitrified N emitted as N2O were measured in the laboratory to define the values of NOE parameters, as well as nitrification rates and related N2O production rates for parameterizing both models. Soil moisture and both NGAS and NOE N2O fluxes were best modelled on an hourly time step. Soil moisture dynamics were satisfactorily simulated by PASTIS. Simulated N2O fluxes by both NGAS and NOE (3.2 and 2.1 kg N ha(-1) y(-1) for NGAS; 7.1 and 3.7 kg N ha(-1) y(-1) for NOE, for the monoculture and shaded plantations respectively) were within a factor of about 2 of the observed annual fluxes (4.3 and 5.8 kg N ha(-1) y(-1), for the monoculture and shaded plantations respectively). Statistical indicators of association and coincidence between simulated and measured values were satisfactory for both models. Nevertheless, the two models differed greatly in describing the nitrification and denitrification processes. Some of the algorithms in the model NGAS were apparently not applicable to these tropical acidic Andosols. Therefore, more detailed information about microbial processes in different agroecosystems would be needed, notably if process-oriented models were to be used for testing strategies for mitigating N2O emissions. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.