Forest-Based Associations As Drivers for Sustainable Development in Uganda
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Discussion paper Forest-based associations as drivers for sustainable development in Uganda Cornelius Kazoora, James Acworth, Charles Tondo and Bob Kazungu 2006 Sustainable Development Centre, Uganda Contacts: Cornelius Kazoora Sustainable Development Centre Makerere University Campus Senate building, Level 1, Office 3 P.O. Box 5463, Kampala-Uganda Tel: +39 726253 Email: [email protected] Duncan Macqueen Forestry and Land Use Programme International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) 4 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 2EN, UK Tel: +44 131 226 6860, Fax: +44 131 624 7050 Email: [email protected] Website: www.iied.org Citation: Kazoora, C., Acworth, J., Tondo, C., and Kazungu, B. (2006). Forest-based associations as drivers for sustainable development in Uganda. IIED Small and Medium Forest Enterprise Series No. 15. International Institute for Environment and Development, Edinburgh, UK. ISBN: 1 84369 609 6 Copyright © International Institute for Environment and Development, 2006 Small and medium forestry enterprises for poverty reduction and sustainability Most international attention in forestry has been given to improving the conditions for large-scale or micro-scale forestry, and much less to the 'messy middle' – which produces a high proportion of forest products and involves huge numbers of people. Ways need to be found by which small and medium-scale forestry enterprises (SMFEs) can better contribute to reducing poverty and improving the prospects for sustainability. IIED, with partners in Uganda, South Africa, India, Brazil, Guyana and China have been investigating these issues. Country diagnostics show that the SMFE sector is of major significance for livelihoods in these countries – the net effect of myriad small players represents a substantial part of local economies. Yet, these are largely invisible economies, and policy and programme developments almost completely ignore the SMFE sector. Raising the sector’s visibility such that its impacts can be better assessed, and then going on to explore how the positive links to sustainability, livelihoods and poverty-reduction can be enhanced, is a major challenge to which this initiative seeks to rise. Reports in the Small and medium forestry enterprises series available from IIED on request, and downloadable from www.iied.org, include: No. 1 Exportando sem crises – A industria de Madeira tropical brasileira e os mercados internacionais. 2004. Macqueen, D.J., Grieg-Gran, M., Lima, E., MacGregor, J., Merry, F., Prochnik, V., Scotland, N., Smeraldi, R. and Young, C.E.F. 169pp. No. 2 Making the most of market chains: Challenges for small-scale farmers and traders in upland Vietnam. 2004. Phi, L.T., Duong, N.V., Quang, N.N., Vang, P.L., Morrison, E. and Vermeulen, S. 43pp. No. 3 Small and medium forest enterprise in Brazil. 2003. May, P., Da Vinha, V.G. and Macqueen, D.J . 48pp. No. 4 Small and medium forest enterprise in China. 2003. Sun, C. and Chen, X. 31pp. No. 5 Small and medium forest enterprise in Guyana. 2003. Thomas, R., Macqueen, D.J., Hawker, Y. and DeMendonca, T. 49pp. No. 6 Small and medium forest enterprise in India. 2003. Saigal, S. and Bose, S. 65pp. No. 7 Small and medium forest enterprise in South Africa. 2004. Lewis, F., Horn, J., Howard, M. and Ngubane, S. 55pp. No. 8 Small and medium forest enterprise in Uganda. 2004. Auren, R. and Krassowska, K. 73pp. No. 9 Small scale timber production in South Africa: What role in reducing poverty? 2005. Howard, M., Matikinca, P., Mitchell, D., Brown, F., Lewis, F., Mahlungu, I., Msimang, A., Nixon, P. and Radebe, T. 82pp. No. 10 Forestry contractors in South Africa: What role in reducing poverty? 2005. Clarke, J. and Isaacs, M. 50pp. No. 11 Small scale enterprise and sustainable development – key issues and policy opportunities to improve impact. 2005. Macqueen, D.J. 12pp. No. 12 Raising forest revenues and employment: unlocking the potential of small and medium forest enterprises in Guyana. 2006. Mendes, A. and Macqueen, D.J. 40pp. No. 13 Emerging forest associations in Yunnan, China. 2006. Weyerhaeuser, W., Wen, S. and Kahrl, F. 31pp. No. 14 Associations in emergent communities at the Amazon forest frontier, Mato Grosso. 2006. Figueiredo, L.D., Porro, N. and Pereira, L.S. 72pp. For a wide range of published reports from IIED’s previous 3-year initiative on Instruments for sustainable private sector forestry see: www.iied.org Acknowledgements We wish to thank all who made this study possible. This study emerged out of a relationship between various Uganda forestry stakeholders and IIED in the founding of the Ugandan Forest Governance Learning Group (FGLG). The FGLG-Uganda produced forest governance analyses, methodological tools, a study on pitsawyers, and also a report on Small and Medium Forest Enterprise by Rosina Auren and Krystyna Krassowska from which this study’s associations focus takes its cue. The authors wish to thank the very many people who gave us so much of their time to provide information about their respective associations. We have been inspired by the diversity of stories of self-help and resilience that were shared with us. They give clear evidence of the entrepreneurial spirit among all echelons of Ugandan society and the willingness to come together to tackle poverty amongst some of the most disadvantaged members of remote rural communities. From small groups of committed individuals to entire communities that have signed up to a common vision of self- development, and fought for it, we were perpetually reminded of the sayings “strength in numbers” and “united we stand, divided we fall”. The leaders of these associations, whom we interviewed, demonstrate a selfless willingness to commit huge amounts of time, and often their own private resources to make their organisations succeed. We thank them for also giving us so much time to explain their missions to us. We also express gratitude to the many government officials who both helped us identify the associations that we interviewed (such as the District Community Development Workers, Forestry and Environment Officers) and also those in the Ministries. We also thank individuals: Dr. Pantaleo Kasoma, Team Leader, Community Based Natural Resource Management, PRIME-West, Kabale, Mr. Geo Dutki, Manager MBIFCT, Mr. Levand Turyomurugyendo of ICRAF, Kabale, Mr. Abdallah N. Okao of Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief, Lira, Mr. Mugiri Gad, the Chief Warden Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Dr. Willy Kakuru, World Agroforestry centre, Kampala, Mr. Henry Mbaguta, Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development, Mr. Charles Ocici, Executive Director, Enterprise Uganda, UNDP, Uganda, Mr. Joseph Ssekandi and Mr. Patrick Atwooki, Uganda Small Scale Industries Association, Mr. Allan Amumpe, National Forestry Authority, and all those others working to promote SMEs and gave us their time to explain their policies and programmes. We thank IIED for organising and supporting this study. Special thanks to: Duncan Macqueen for overall coordination of the multi-country project, inputs to the various drafts and editing; James Mayers for helping to organize this Ugandan study and for final edits; and Marie Jaecky for proof reading and final edits. Financial support for this study was provided by the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The opinions expressed within this paper are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of SDC, IIED or DFID. Forest-based associations as drivers for sustainable development in Uganda Table of contents Acronyms and abbreviations ...........................................................................................6 Executive summary .........................................................................................................8 1. Background................................................................................................................14 1.1 Introduction to the study ......................................................................................14 1.2 Rationale..............................................................................................................15 1.3 Ugandan policy context .......................................................................................16 1.4 Conceptual framework.........................................................................................27 2. Literature review ........................................................................................................28 2.1 Definitions and interpretations .............................................................................28 2.2 Importance of small and medium enterprises and their associations .................32 3. Methodologies and sampling.....................................................................................34 4. Findings .....................................................................................................................36 4.1 Characteristics of the respondents......................................................................36 4.2 Characteristics of the associations......................................................................37 4.3 Cohesion: reasons for associating ......................................................................45 4.4 Resilience: credibility and legitimacy for decision-making...................................53 4.5 Equity: adequacy of representation of interests