Indigenous knowledge for sustainable livelihoods: Evaluating non-timber forest product value chains for San communities in Northern Namibia

The commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) has been primarily promoted in the Global South for its potential to enhance subsistence and income opportunities for indigenous communities residing in or adjacent to forested areas. However, in practice, the traded NTFPs predominantly benefits companies in the Global North, leading to substantial income disparities and insufficient compensation for indigenous producers. This dissertation evaluates the integration of indigenous peoples as NTFP producers and knowledge holders into global value chains (GVCs) and regional value chains (RVCs), as well as the effectiveness of international legislation as a strategy to enhance their value capture within these chains. The dissertation’s primary objective is to contribute conceptually to global discussions on equitable profit distribution from natural resources, focusing on vulnerable forest dependent indigenous communities. Using a mixed-method approach, including interviews, focus group discussions, participant observations, and secondary statistical data analysis, the study begins by assessing the impact of integrating San NTFP harvesters from northern Namibia into GVCs and RVCs on their livelihoods. It then evaluates the roles of international and national legislation in ensuring fair benefit-sharing for these harvesters and communities, while exploring their challenges in enhancing value capture and the requirements for value upgrading opportunities. The findings reveal that, despite the increased global commercialisation and value of Namibia’s NTFPs, including Devil's Claw export worth over 143 million USD annually, individual San NTFP harvesters earned an average of only 1,538 NAD (80 USD) in 2021. Furthermore, the benefit-sharing regulations and initiatives have not iv effectively translated into fair benefit-sharing; only a few Namibian NTFP-harvesting communities established benefit-sharing agreements with multinational companies. While communities with benefit-sharing agreements have established local processing facilities and community enterprises to benefit through partnerships, the San communities in Bwabwata National Park and Okongo Constituency, lacking such agreements, face challenges in setting up similar structures. This hinders their value capture and bargaining power, ultimately leaving them susceptible to exploitation by intermediate companies and individual traders. In conclusion, this thesis emphasises the urgency of addressing persistent inequalities in benefit-sharing for indigenous and local communities in Namibia. Future research should explore the potential for reforms in ABS regulation to rectify legal gaps and ensure compliance for all value chain actors engaged in the use of NTFPs. Future research should also assess the feasibility of increasing value capture within the producing communities in Namibia for highly valued and globally demanded NTFPs

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Namibia

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Nakanyete, Ndapewa Fenny

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Diez, Javier Revilla

• Indigenous knowledge
• Northern Namibia
• San communities
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Forest product value chains
• University of Namibia

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11070/3926

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.unam.edu.na:11070/3926