A fine mess: Bricolaged forest governance in Cameroon

1 Sustainable Markets & Chains Group, Agricultural Economics Institute, Wageningen University and Research Centres, PO Box 29703, 2502 LS, Den Haag verina.ingram@wur.nl2 Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam m.a.f.ros-tonen@uva.nl3 African Studies Centre, Leiden dietzaj@ascleiden.nl

Verina Ingram1,2, Mirjam Ros Tonen2 & Ton Dietz2,3

Capturing Critical Institutionalism

18 – 19 April 2013, Kings College, London

Aims• Disentangle the “fine mess” of institutional bricolage by

introducing and characterising different forest product governance arrangements and institutions.

• Impacts of how they interact and their combined impacts on the sustainable livelihoods of those involved in NTFP value chains.

• Challenges and opportunities for development and conservation policy, using examples of successes and failures.

Silent chain “actors” with little voice in formal

governance arrangements, who act to create their own

‘’messy’’ arrangements

Laurel & Hardy Silver screen stars c.1920-1940

Moses & PaPygeum hoe handle traders, c.1990-2009

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZLMc8eLgG8

• From 36 onwards

Value chains• Value chains of products – from the forest in Cameroon that move

through harvesters, processors, traders and retailers to consumers worldwide - operate in very dynamic, changing and complex settings.

• Alongside legal pluralism, messy with overlapping and multiple layers of institutions, the configurations of which have changed over time, there are voids where no institutions govern certain practices of access to resources and markets and the chains themselves. Some actors, notably NGOs, project-related and market-based actors, fulfil roles normally the reserve of the state. In other chains the state performs it duties, in others not, and customary authorities, projects, civil society and voluntary govern.

Statutory regualtion

Voluntary/market standards

Customary regulation

Projects

Corruption

Involuntary standards

0

5

10

Score10 = strong governance

0 = weak governanceNTFP Chain

Apiculture

Gnetum

Irvingia

Prunus

Cola

Raphia

Bamboo

Gum arabic

The fine mess…. Governance arrangements of NTFP chains

Traditional & customary laws Statutory law

‘bricolage’

Regulatory authoritiesnational and provincial

ministries, local councils, implementing agencies

Traditional authoritiesChiefs, customary councils,

courts

Community forest management institutions

‘Project’ rules

NGOs & donors

‘Voluntary’ and ‘supplier’ rules

voids

voids

voids

voids

International organizations

Standards

international agreements

Conventions

Who’s in the mess ?

Certification bodies & companies

Bricoleursfor actors in forest product value chains, they are forced to stay, and become even more adept bricoleurs. They make the best of the arrangements in which they both find themselves, and creatively use capitals available, building on natural capital to construct new governance arrangements and/or remould existing ones aiming to meet their current objectives, circumstances and livelihoods. This situation reflects notions of institutional bricolage: the dynamic and multiple identities of the bricoleurs and multi-purpose institutional arrangements and the crafting arrangements which advance livelihoods, individually and collectively. Reflects productive bricolage with its focus on livelihoods as the flexible and dynamic crafting of livelihood options and associated impacts on landscapes.

Successes and failures

• Prunus failure

A story about 18 community forests in the mountains of Cameroon, bark, old men's disease and money…

70% annual

household income

A sweet, sticky, more sustainable story of bricolage in the apiculture (honey, wax, propolis etc.) chain in Adamaoua, Cameroon

Policy challenges and opportunities

• Dealing with Pluralism• Hybrids• Time to show impacts and learning• Hearing silent voices• Dealing with conflicts• Recognising customary institutions laws that

work • development and conservation policy,

Biodiversityater the variety of plants and animals, the greater the genetic diversity.

Thank you!