Small-scale forest enterprises in Latin America: unlocking their potential for sustainable livelihoods

Del Gatto F., Mbairamadji J., Richards M. and Reeb D.

Small-scale forest enterprises in Latin America: unlocking their potential for sustainable livelihoods

Year of publication 2018

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 72

Author Del Gatto F., Mbairamadji J., Richards M. and Reeb D.

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Book (series)

ISBN 978-92-5-131119-6

Series title Forestry Working Paper

Series number 10

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) During the last three decades many countries in the world improved forest tenure by offering greater recognition of indigenous and community rights to manage forests. In many Latin American countries, the community and smallholder forest enterprises are increasing in number, with some developing strong associations and alliances to promote and sustain their growth. Their potential, however, has yet to be fully realized as significant obstacles to their expansion and growth still exist in a number of countries. The publication aims to support forest policy decision makers in understanding the status and dynamics of small scale forest enterprises in Latin America, their needs and challenges in order to help them set up appropriated enabling environment (policy, legal, institutional) that are conducive to scale up the sustainable development of SSFE. This publication contributes to SO3 Reduce rural poverty and particularly to output 1.2 Governments and relevant stakeholders are empowered to promote and implement pro-poor approaches, policies, programmes improving access to and sustainable management of natural resources as well as to output 1.3 Governments and relevant stakeholders are empowered to provide poor rural producers and households with appropriate technologies and access to knowledge, inputs and markets.

Read on Google Books and buy online

Language English

Also available in:

Spanish

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

Book (stand-alone)

Small-scale forest-based processing enterprises 1987

Also available in:

No results found.

Small-scale forest-based processing enterprises comprise an important, but neglected, part of the forestry and forest industries sector. They process a large part of the raw materials from the forest and supply some of the main markets for forest products, in particular in the rural areas of developing countries. Our concern in the work reported on in this publication has been to determine the main features, prospects and problems of such small-scale enterprises and what support could enhance their developmental contribution, and therefore the developmental impact of the forest sector. Many small enterprises are currently unstable, and offer little security or prospect of self-reliance for those engaged in them. These problems need to be tackled by promoting viable enterprises run by rural people through effective participatory organizations which can increase peoples' control over their own economic destiny. External supp ort to increase production and efficiency needs to be compatible with those valuable elements of local culture which still have a role to play in the modern context.
Book (stand-alone)

Small-scale forest enterprise development in Nepal: overview, issues and challenges 2018

Also available in:

No results found.

The study looks at three representative cases in detail to understand the organizational management; resource governance, production and harvesting; technology and financing; and benefit sharing arrangements. It is found that the SSFE governance framework is still evolving particularly in case of those managed by groups. Forest resources are generally harvested under an approved management plan and the user groups have adopted measures to ensure sustained supply of resources over time. Despite these measures, there are sustainability challenges that these SSFEs will face in the long run. While most of the SSFEs are struggling to generate profit, they have a strong orientation for equitable benefit sharing, especially to benefit poor, women and other marginalized forest dependent groups. The study has made a few recommendations. First, it shows a need to explore suitable institutional arrangements that creates adequate incentive to local forest user group leaders to run enterprises and develop needed partnership with private sector. Second, capacity development of service providers, entrepreneurs and forest managers should be supported by suitable technical and managerial capacities. Third, there is a need for timely and periodic revision in policy and forest tenure to incentivize forest managing communities and private actors in establishing SSFEs. Fourth, critically needed business development services should be provided through a combination of public and private funds and mechanism. Finally, the government must ensure a safe and fair business environment in which entrepreneurs are encouraged to invest more on SSFEs.
Book (series)

A guide to multiple-use forest management planning for small and medium forest enterprises 2023

Also available in:

No results found.

This publication discusses the concept, evolution, and requirements of forest management planning, focusing on multiple-use forest management and small and medium forest enterprises (SMFEs). Forest management planning is a document that translates forest policies into a coordinated programme for managing forests over a set period of time, integrating environmental, economic, and social dimensions. It serves various purposes, such as legal documents, concession agreements, and tools for sustainable forest management. Multiple-use forest management recognizes the diverse values and benefits that forests provide beyond timber, such as water regulation, climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and cultural values. Despite its challenges, forest management planning can contribute to sustainability and optimize the value derived from forests. SMFEs play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and forest-based economies. However, barriers such as policy environments, lack of support tools, and management challenges need to be addressed. Forest management planning can help overcome these barriers by ensuring legal compliance, mitigating risks, promoting sustainability, and supporting marketing and value chain development. It is also a valuable tool for empowering local forest users, involving stakeholders, and negotiating benefit-sharing arrangements. The process of forest management planning involves gathering information, defining objectives, developing silvicultural and ecosystem services plans, creating a business plan, planning for unusual events, and establishing a monitoring system. It is an adaptive learning process that continuously evaluates and adapts plans based on the results of forest management activities. Stakeholder engagement is key to developing a socially acceptable forest management plan, starting with identifying stakeholders, creating awareness, informed discussions, and monitoring to keep stakeholders accountable for their agreed responsibilities. Negotiating expectations and building consensus helps identify conflicts and integrate qualitative data to improve decision-making in multiple-use forest management. In conclusion, forest management planning is essential for sustainable forest management, contributing to the well-being of communities, the environment, and the economy. This guide provides a framework for forest management planning, guiding forest managers through the planning process stepwise and providing advice on information sources needed during the planning process. The framework can be adapted to national and local contexts in line with relevant regulatory requirements.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.