Photo credit: Henri Bouda/AFF
Nairobi, 26 February 2020 – AFF, the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) are conducting a two-day national workshop on, “Sustainable Business Models for Forest-Based Value Chains in Kenya” from 26-27 February 2020 in Mombasa, Kenya.
The workshop aims at discussing the emerging challenges and potentials of sustainable forest-based value chains for forest dependent people.
The specific objectives of the workshop are to:
- Receive and deliberate on findings of research conducted by AFF, SLU and KEFRI on charcoal and honey value chains in Kenya in the context of sustainable livelihoods improvement and environmental sustainability;
- Provide an opportunity for stakeholders, policymakers and experts in forest-based value chains to meet and exchange information and experiences on such value chains, and on approaches to strengthen the value chains;
- Provide inputs in the design of approaches to inform future initiatives, including decision making processes for sustainable business models that are based on forest- products value chains.
In Africa, supply chains for forest-based products mostly operate within the informal sector and involve harvesting, processing, and marketing of a range of forest-based products including timber, firewood, charcoal, and many non-timber forest products.
The produce, which is mostly consumed in Africa, involves tens of millions of mostly poor people in the supply chains, and reaches about 600 million consumers. Economic studies reveal that the production, trade and sale of these products are not captured in national or international statistics because either the whole value chain falls outside the measured and taxed market or the production, trade and/or consumption of them are not legal. However, they contribute significantly to employment and rural livelihoods.
The workshop will bring together stakeholders in various sectors related to forestry including government officials, research scientists, representatives from non-governmental organisations, international organisations and key actors in forest-based value chains.
The workshop is an integral component of the AFF and SLU research project, namely: “Sustainable Business Models for Tree based Value Chains in Sub Saharan Africa” funded by the Swedish Research Council.
For further information on the workshop contact
The Executive Secretary,
African Forest Forum,
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri
P.O. Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Phone: +254 20 722 4203.
Fax: +254 20 722 4001/4181
Email: exec.sec@afforum.org
Website: www.afforum.org