An international comparison of cases of forest product development: overview, description and data requirements

Abstract

With increased attention to and investment in forest products (especially “NTFP”), there is a real need for more systematic understanding of the true role and potential of forest products to achieve development and conservation objectives. Information is required to improve the effectiveness of investment and policy interventions. There is a rich base of information from many case studies and development projects that have been done on various aspects of forest product development. But, this information has been assembled in an ad-hoc fashion, using a range of methods, at different scales, and focusing on different elements of the forest product production, processing and marketing systems. Work is needed to document and compare cases using consistent terms and definitions for an appropriate range of variables. This paper describes a method to do this. It involves collating information from many cases that have already been studied. Cases will be documented and described using a standardized set of descriptors, and this data matrix will be used as the basis for the comparative analysis. Exploratory data analysis will be used to outline patterns, gradients of variability, clusters of cases and key variables associated with them. The goal is to create typologies of cases, identify conditions associated with particular kinds of development and conservation outcomes, and identify and test hypotheses about forest product development. The ultimate goal is to provide guidance for action-oriented interventions based on forest products; that is, to identify conditions and “types’ of cases that are amenable to development interventions, as well as to flag “types” of cases that may not be good investments. This paper provides guidelines for research collaborators. It describes the categories of information (geographic setting; biological and physical characteristics of the product; characteristics of the raw material production system; socio-economic characteristics of raw material production system; institutional characteristics of raw material production system; characteristics of the processing industry; characteristics of the market and marketing system; outside Interventions, and; outcomes of forest product commercialization) and provides definitions and rationales for the various descriptors used. _______________________________________________________________________________