Sustainable and equitable forest product valorization : Organizing an integrated supply chain in Acre, Brazil

Different socio-economic-environmental models argue for an increased effort to better valorize tropical forests non-timber products (Brazil nuts, natural rubber, guarana, cat's claw,...) in order to improve forest inhabitants' livelihoods, while reducing pressure on the natural resources base. In the Brazilian Amazon region, at least two very distinct supply chains exists for NTFP. The first system represents the traditional forms of gathering, harvesting, processing and utilization of products by the forest inhabitants themselves and by local traditional customers in the region. The second system focuses on the manufacturing and sales of improved and new intermediate and final products from the therapeutic, natural medicine and cosmetics industries, using the NTFP as product ingredients. The government of the state of Acre, aiming for an economically and environmentally sustainable and equitable tropical forest development, has targeted the valorization of NTFP, alongside strategies for sustainable timber management & extraction, and road construction. Thesis research including primary data collection along NTFP supply chains in Brazil, analyzed past and current constraints and opportunities and formulates a set of recommendations regarding the need for integration of key actors in the chain, most importantly in the raw material supply zones (forest margins). Technical, economical and organizational recommendations, however, need to be complemented by specific government (federal) policies. The paper introduces the main thoughts on models for sustainable forest development. It analyzes all aspects of the NTFP supply chains and its actors. It concludes with a set of recommendations for the development of the NTFP chain. (Résumé d'auteur