Economics of the gum arabic value chain in Senegal

A Gum arabic has an important international market due to its use in various industries. Senegal is a small producing country whose exports are low probably due to problems of developing internal markets resulting from the lack of price incentives. The study’s main aim is to link the market side to the collection side in order to investigate factors influencing the performance of the supply chain of gum arabic. The study is conducted in the Sylvopastoral zone and Eastern Region of Senegal where Acacia senegal trees are found and gum arabic is commercially exploited. The main findings of the study are that, productivity-enhancing methods have to be adopted; market incentives are fundamental for the continuation of collection; traders in the gum markets are not necessarily exploitative; quality as required by the user may not be directly linked to the visible quality attributes in the field; and that the transition from communal organisation of collection to efficient private collection systems depends mainly on the assessment of economic benefits and costs. However, the importance attached to environmental and social considerations has to be recognised especially in the drylands where gum arabic is collected. </p

Hedonic Pricing of Rice Attributes, Market Sorting, and Gains from Quality Improvement in the Beninese Market

Latent class analysis is applied to a hedonic price model to examine the presence of heterogeneity in consumer valuation of quality attributes in the Beninese rice market. Three classes of consumers are found in proportions of 5, 56, and 39 percent. We employ a partial equilibrium model and find modest gains in consumer surplus from an increase in head rice and reduction in chalkiness. The results provide evidence of market sorting, which should be taken into consideration in upgrading rice value chains. Also, it is important to assess potential gains from quality improvement to determine priorities for research and development

Importance of socio-economic factors in the collection of NTFPs: The case of gum arabic in Kenya

Collection of wild non-timber forest products may improve the livelihoods of communities through their direct consumption or marketing. Gum arabic is one of these products by ‘Acacia senegal’ trees that are found in Kenya. It is a source of additional income for rural households. The study explores — household decisions to collect gum arabic in the forest using the two stage Heckman selection model. The data for the analysis come from the 213 randomly sampled collectors from the north-eastern and western regions of Kenya. The findings show that livestock ownership, possession of skills, insecurity and price obtained from the previous season impact on decision making to collect gum arabic. Furthermore, household's age, experience in collecting gum arabic and topography increase the quantities collected while gender negatively impacts amounts of collection. The research concludes by emphasizing that collection of the non-timber forest products including gum arabic would be attractive if the returns from collection justify the risk and cost to go to the forest

Re-innovating agricultural cooperatives: a renewed interest for cooperatives in the coffee sector of Rwanda

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Private Versus Communal Tenure Systems in Gum Arabic Collection

Communal management systems for acacia stands are still prominent in semi-arid gum producing areas. Competition over plots leads to lower quantities per household and, compared with private access systems, the gum collected is of lower quality. These communal systems also decrease the collectors’ incentives for tree management, may lead to overexploitation and even be sources of conflict over resources. Private systems are emerging either at individual level or through companies; in a gradual transition, mixed systems are found in which privately owned properties and communal forests coexist in villages where gum is collected in the Sylvopastoral Zone and Eastern Region of Senegal. This study investigates factors that influence the currently observed transition from communal to private collection systems at village level, briefly focusing on gender relations. With data from 53 villages in Senegal, a probit model is used to analyse the choice of organizing collection in communal systems. Mixed systems are preferred if markets are developing, labour for collection is available, competition for the resource is high, forests where gum is collected are located near the village or market prices are high enough to attract occasional collectors who reinforce the effect of competition