10 September 2008
Conservancies produce 95% of global trade in the plant S AN communities from the Nyae Nyae and Nâ‰a-Jaqna conservancies generated more than N$400 000 during 2007 from the harvesting and sale of plant products.
Similar or even better results are expected for 2008, as more than 1 000 harvesters are registered in both conservancies, researcher Dave Cole said recently.
In a paper titled 'Botanical resources increasingly contributing to income generation for conservancies and its members' issued last month, Cole indicated that to date, conservancies had collected an income of N$288 561, with several more months of harvesting to go.
The Nyae Nyae Conservancy was formed in 1998, and the Nâ‰a-Jaqna Conservancy in 2003.
The medicinal value of Devil's Claw (Harpagophytum) for the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and other ailments of this type has been recognised by "Western medicine" only in the last 50 years.
The first major exports from Namibia started in the early 1960s, and today the country is the largest exporter in the world, accounting for about 95 per cent of the trade.
Namibia currently exports on average about 400 tons of dried Devil's Claw per year, which represents a significant income for the country.
According to Cole, up until recently, Devil's Claw was harvested and traded but was characterised by unsustainable harvesting practices, exploitative prices paid to harvesters, and inferior quality.
However, in the last two years, funding from the Integrated Community-Based Ecosystem Management Project and the US Agency for International Development, as well as the Life for Relief and Development programmes, have enabled the Working Group on Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa and the Nyae Nyae Development Foundation Namibia to work with the Centre for Research Information Action in Africa, Southern Africa Development and Consulting and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to implement a sustainable harvesting programme, benefiting both the conservancies and individual harvesters.
Harvesters are now organised into groups, and receive training on sustainable harvesting and processing by using appropriate equipment and have a purchase contract with a solid buyer.
Ecoso Dynamics, owned by Gero Diekmann, makes regular buying trips to both conservancies.
It provides a small shopping service to harvesters who live far from any shops, and where transport is severely lacking.
Organic certification allows for the product to be traced back to the area in which it was harvested, and by whom.
The costs of covering the expenses related to organic certification have also been made provision for, and the conservancies will be able to cover these costs themselves in the future.
Added Cole: "Not only do harvesters benefit from cash income, but the organised harvesting and sale of Devil's Claw in these conservancies also contributes to empowering people to develop a sense of ownership and to take responsibility for the management of their resources.
Clearly, however, given the extent of poverty in rural areas, the challenge is to identify additional products that can also contribute to income generation in these conservancies."
Meanwhile, Maria Shikongo said on behalf of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy that many Namibians lack awareness of the San people in terms of the challenges ahead of them and ways of integrating the San into conservancies and community forests.
Nampa
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