Women are increasingly indispensable partners in development strategies. Nowhere is this more evident than in Cameroon where women working in forests are at the front-line in the fight against rural poverty.
Fruits, nuts, leaves, bark, medicinal plants and bamboo are just some of the life-giving items known as NTFPs or non-timber forest products. In Central Africa CIFOR began studying NTFPs and poverty alleviation about ten years ago.
In Cameroon, economic factors have driven more people into the NTFP sector. Prices of cocoa and coffee dropped in the nineties, followed by an economic crisis and the devaluation of the local currency. Rural people began looking for new sources of income. At the same time, the value of NTFPs increased, brought on by Africans overseas willing to pay top prices for genuine African products, and by an increase in tourism leading to increased demand for craft items.
Women in Cameroon are the driving force in the production, processing and commercialisation of NTFPs, says CIFOR researcher Danielle Lema Ngono. ‘They are the ones gathering the products in the forest and selling them in the markets. We did a study into 11 markets in the rainforest region of Cameroon, which showed that women make up 94% of the total number of traders.’
Another CIFOR study showed women represent 80% of bushmeat traders in the Democratic Republic of Congo and 95% of traders of shea butter in Burkina Faso.
The women manage these natural resources using sustainable collection methods and efficient production techniques. And thanks to the incomes from their trade, they are managing to succeed in other business areas as well.
In the region of Lekie, Cameroon, CIFOR is working with local NGO ‘Association for Development of Environment Initiatives’ (ADIE), to help women's groups using NTFPs as a source of income. CIFOR and ADIE are training women to better cultivate and market NTFPs. One particular product CIFOR is helping women with is eru. The leaves of this vine are used widely in Central Africa’s dishes and sometimes for medical purposes.
According to CIFOR researcher, Abdon Awono, the project’s aim is to ‘help the women increase the supply of eru while also helping them better understand how the eru market works, what the local prices are and how to sell orders in advance.’
The incomes achieved by women trading NTFPs are certainly impressive. According to a study by CIFOR researcher, Ousseynou Ndoye, women in Cameroon can earn between US$16 and US$160 per week, depending on the product. According to Ndoye, promising results are also being seen beyond Cameroon. ‘Women traders of charcoal and palm wine in the Democratic Republic of Congo earn US$216 and US$166 respectively per month. This is a good income when you consider a secondary teacher earns between US$120-150,’ Ndoye says.
Such incomes are a good reason for governments to actively support the processing of NTFPs. CIFOR recommends governments include these products in poverty reduction strategies. Other recommendations include reducing transaction costs, improving road and market infrastructures, and stimulating trade with neighbouring countries by harmonising trade policies.
Such steps would go a long way in helping the women of Central Africa overcome poverty. DN, JR