Bennett, Ben (2014) Linking natural product producer & processor organisations to natural product enterprises: a discussion of past, present and future models. Indigenous Plant Products in Namibia. Venture Publications, Windhoek, Namibia, pp. 134-141. ISBN 9789991685267

Preview

PDF (Author's Accepted Manuscript) 14397_BENNETT_Natural_Product_Enterprises_2014.pdf - Accepted Version Download (208kB)

Abstract

The big idea for sustainability for indigenous natural product (INP) harvesting is that communities have a reason to protect and manage their resources when those resources pay them a suitable regular income. Forming a long-term healthy commercial relationship between harvesting groups (Producing and Processing Organisations - PPO’s) and up-stream companies that develop and promote products from INPs is one of the essential steps along the pathway to proving this big idea works. Namibia has, arguably, one of the richest recent histories of developing such PPO/commercial INP enterprise models and there is much to learn from considering the range of approaches that have been adopted.

In this Chapter the aim is to share the range of models and enterprise/PPO interactions tested during the MCA-Namibia INP Programme period, many of which build upon a much longer history of similar efforts going back to the Colonial times. We shall draw some conclusions about what models might be suitable to meet the current and future problems facing the INP sector in Namibia and what important lessons we have learned.

Six main types of INP – SME relationships (sometimes called “models”) are identified. These are: the ‘Trader model’, the ‘NGO model’, the ‘Government model’, the local ‘SME led model’, the ‘PPO model’, and a ‘future model’. Considering the INP sector today, it could be said that all of these models are now present and working in parallel.

Item Type:	Book Section
Uncontrolled Keywords:	plants, namibia, commercialisation
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) S Agriculture > SD Forestry
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Food & Markets Department
Last Modified:	19 Apr 2017 10:15
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/14397

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads