Non-wood forest products: potentials and constraints in Bale, Southeast Ethiopia
2004
Motuma Didita | Abebe Yadessa
Forests in Bale area constitute valuable resources other than timber. Mid and high altitude areas of Bale are important sources of honey, coffee, bamboo, medicinal plants and wild spices. Lowland areas are good sources of extractives (incense and gum myrrh), honey, medicinal plants and both cultivated and wild fruits. The contribution of these non-wood forest products to food security is significant and seems a promising option for improving rural livelihoods in Bale. However, not all non-wood forest products are well utilized to their full potential mainly due to inaccessibility of the resources, lack of market, and poor infrastructure. So far, little attention has been given to non-wood forest products despite their potential as domestic use and export commodities. This trend should be changed in the light of the current Market-oriented Agricultural Development Strategy of the country and research should focus on this area in the future. The aim of this paper was thus to give an account of the major non-wood forest products found in Bale, southeast Ethiopia and assess their potential and constraints in contributing towards improving the livelihood of the farming communities in the area and to indicate future research needs. The paper is based on observations made during field tours and on review of literature. It highlights the major non-wood forest products: extractives (incense and gum myrrh), honey, wild spices (Thymus and Ocicum species), forest coffee, wild fruits, traditional medicines, bamboos, eco-tourism, etc. obtained from forests in Bale.
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