In Cameroon, women as the primary gatherers and traders of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have limited access to processing technologies, marketing strategies and market information. The objective of this paper is to explore how CIFOR research and capacity building implemented from 2000 have been perceived by Cameroonian traders. An evaluation of the program took place in 2006 with thirty-eight traders out of seventy-two traders trained. Of the traders initially interviewed, 95 percent of them were women. Eighty-one percent of traders said their incomes increased as a result of the training received, 11 percent of traders mentioned a negative impact and 8 percent reported no impact. The average increase in income for those who benefited was 55 percent. The quantity of, and revenues obtained from, NTFPs increased from 2003 to 2004, but declined in 2005. These changes were related to decline or growth in gathering NTFPs, changes in demand, increased competition in the marketplace and poor health of the traders. The revenue gained from NTFPs was used for basic household needs—school fees, food and health costs. Investments in home improvements and household goods were also popular, but many traders also invested in phones, televisions and radios. These results indicate that a capacity building programme could reduce the constraints faced by traders by providing them with marketing information, accounting tools and processing and storage technology skills. A cost effective market information system could then be developed and scaled up.
The livelihoods of mountain farmers are often constrained by poor access to markets and limited entrepreneurial skills for adding value to produce. Research and development organizations have now recognized that improving market access and enhancing the ability of resource-poor mountain...
C’est en 1954 que les paysans de la Commune rurale de l’Imanan, située dans l’Ouest du Niger, ont commencé la culture de pomme de terre. Partie d’une simple culture d’appoint associée à d’autres spéculations, la production de pomme de terre...
Given the diversity and context-specificity of innovation systems approaches, in March 2007 the World Bank organized a workshop in which about 80 experts (representing donor agencies, development and related agencies, academia, and the World Bank) took stock of recent experiences...
This book represents the proceedings of the FAO international technical conference dedicated to Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries (ABDC-10) that took place in Guadalajara, Mexico on 1-4 March 2010. A major objective of the conference was to take stock of...
Grants for agricultural innovation are common but grant funds specifically targeted to smallholder farmers remain relatively rare. Nevertheless, they are receiving increasing recognition as a promising venue for agricultural innovation. They stimulate smallholders to experiment with improved practices, to become...