The ‘forest store’ of the Bantu and Baka populations in Cameroon

Building trust and understanding between actors in the supply chain

A large part of southern Cameroon (the East, South and Central regions) is forested and the contents of its ‘forest store’ are many. Among the treats of the forest are bush mango (African mango) kernels, moabi oil, njansang (a small nut used in sauces) and 'maniguette' (‘grains of paradise’), a local pepper and medicinal plant. Traditionally, the Bantu and Baka (‘pygmy’) populations collect these products for their own consumption, with the surplus sold on the roadside. A few products are traded to Gabon and Nigeria. 

Thirty years ago, producers of such non-wood forest products (NWFP) in East Cameroon had little insight into markets or consumer expectations. Buyers complained about poor quality, producers complained about low prices and negotiations between the two sides were fruitless.

Then the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) decided to study why the forest populations weren’t selling more produce to buyers in Bertoua, the provincial capital. They looked into the value chains: who does what, where do buyers purchase their products, and what are the constraints and opportunities?

The study revealed that traders, even those based in East Cameroon, were buying their goods, not from producers in that region but from their own province of origin instead, mostly the Central Province. They found producers in East Cameroon unreliable, difficult to deal with and complained that they could often only collect half a lorryload of goods. Producers, for their part, complained that buyers turned up without warning – “Most times I was working in the farm when they came by," and that they offered very low prices.

The first step to address this was a structured Market Day: 90 % of products were offered at an agreed price and quality, while 10 % remained unsold for reasons of quality or disagreement about price. After that, several market days were organised, including for agricultural produce such as plantains, bananas and cassava. However, the initiative remained small-scale and seemed to depend on an external facilitator.

SNV continued its work to develop the value chain of these NWFPs, developing and promoting quality standards of different products with collectors and processors and improving the harvesting, drying, processing and marketing. This generated more and more reliable income. Twenty years later, an article by SNV showed that women had been further supported and empowered, improving their position in the NWFP value chain, with support from local authorities.

A study of the moabi tree (Baillonella toxisperma) showed that the sustainable use and management of moabi can generate two important economic products, the seed oil (a NWFP) and wood with comparable values over time.

Cameroon is not the only country with the scope to promote sustainable NWFP value chains. FAO Global Industry profile 2018  estimated that, worldwide, at least 150 traded NWFP sustain 3 to 6 million formal jobs and an annual income of EUR 90 billion. This shows that, besides wood, NWFP value chains generate forest value, jobs and income and provide incentives for the sustainable management of forest resources, to the benefit of current and future generations.

Jochem Schneemann, Forests for the Future Facility, was in Cameroon for SNW from 1990 to 1994

This article has been prepared by the Forests for Future Facility. It does not represent the official view of the European Union.