Capacity Development Market for non-timber forest products (NTFPs)

Kumba, South West Cameroon

10th June 2011

LCDF Cameroon

Cameroon’s South West: Kumba lies in the shadow of Mt Cameroon (4095m): rich soils, forests, a wealth of forest

products and a population collecting and consuming those products on a daily basis

Kumba Entrepreneurial junction town midst

NTFP production areas

NTFPs are widely commercialised

A poor people’s value chain

Non-timber forest products

Many NTFPs constitute basic ingredients

of the diets of the “peoples of the forest”,

…delicious!

Export of non-timber forest products

Takes place from ports such as this one located in

the Tiko mangroves. Products are exported to

Nigeria and onwards to Europe and the USA to

supply the Central African diaspora

The fair promoters

Consolidating the idea: producing the lay-out of

the CD market

A value chain approach

Making contact with NTFP

producers and collectors

Mobilisation workshop

at Konye village

Mobilisation workshop at

Ikiliwindi village

Mobilisation at Tombel village

Mapping Who produces what?

What are the challenges faced?

What are the local solutions?

A mini value chain:

Charcoal production at

Nguti sawmill and

retailing in Kumba market

Producer

Retailer

Cola nut sellers

Mobilising

the Kumba market women

Mobilising

the Kumba market women

So I can

grow my

business? What is

he talking

about?

A market to

buy and sell

knowledge?

Hmmm…

might be

interesting…

Mobilising

the Kumba

market women

But it will mean

missing my

Friday market…

At the fair:

Let’s see what

this day will bring

me…

Mobilising the Kumba market women

Eru sellers

Seller of forest spices

What do

these fair

people want

from us?

What can

the fair

mean for

me…?

Design an

eru slicing

machine?!

Why

not?

Mobilising the Kumba

wholesalers Both Nigerian and Cameroonian

Bush mango wholesaler

Eru buyam sellam (wholesaler)

Careful: will

this damage

my market

position?

I see it as

an

opportunity!

Journalists get word of the event

Last minute emergencies are plentiful

Kumba City Hall

Venue for the CD market

Preparing the hall

All NTFPs registered during

the mobilisation phase are

featured on the walls

Preparing the

hall

A moment of doubt

Yes,

we can!!!

Do we truly think

we can fill this

hall???

The hostesses of

the registration

Result: 260 persons registered

An exciting moment:

The first participants start arriving

Ikiliwindi village

had hired two buses

Ikiliwindi preparing its stands

Soon a wide variety of forest

product samples started to appear

Even the un-mobilised

made their presence known

(a sure sign that the word

had got around)

Service providers

materialised,

coming from far and wide

A local service provider: NTFP nursery

A Njangsang cracking machine (ICRAF)

Something many producers and collectors

particularly wanted to see

SNV’s stand

Packaging business from Douala

The board at the entrance

made the goal of the event clear

Listen to me, this is

the biggest

challenge I face…

and I want you to

help me…

Demand and supply actors started to

interact even before the official opening

How do you

people sell

your kajoo?

Small scale

local snail

production

Our business is

“nyamagoro”

(snails)

My dream is that

one day nyamagoro

will become a

valued export

product

The hall

starts to fill up

We need healthier

and safer charcoal

production

techniques

I am a retailer

and need

financial

services

An early stroll around the stands

Look I found this

processed NTFP

and know what?…

it tastes real good!

Upon arrival of the local dignitaries

the hall stands to sing the national anthem

Opening Ceremony Kumba CD Market

This event is

only the start of

the

beginning…

The opening

ceremony was

followed by a

guided tour of

the market for

the chief guest

Meeting the Chamber of Commerce

Meeting a women’s retailing group

Meeting a producer

Press, radio and TV

Surely something interesting to

learn over in that stand!

Here at the SNV stand we are

presenting two solutions: the bush

mango cutting machine and the

market information system which

allows to fix prices of NTFPs

Hot item: the

bush mango

cutting

machine

Interaction

More interaction IRAD (research) presenting

eru domestication

Interaction and engagement

Look at my

cane

products, and

look at my

tools. I am

out to find

finer tools.

The men of the sound system

Mobile office

in the back of the hall

Important

logistical

elements

Chede Cooperative

Union

(service provider)

We export local food

stuffs to Europe. Chede

can extend its contacts

and services to interested

producers and processors

of NTFPs

Bored? Or a chance to rest while away from daily chores?

Ministry of SME’s

Service provider

Honey producer and

service provider

Honey processor

Demand actor

The public sector The private sector Civil society

Demand and supply

actors register the

connections they

made during the day

The next step: developing the connections made