Marketing of products collected in ancient walnut forest in southern Kyrgyzstan

Yana Chernykh

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Non timber forest products worldwide are important source of livelihoods for the rural population. It is estimated that 350 million people depends on forest as their primary source of income, food, nutrition and medicine. Timber marketing is extensively discussed in forestry literature but there are minor studies on economic botany and value chains of plant based NTFPs from the area of walnut forest in southern Kyrgyzstan. This Master’s Thesis aims to analyze use patterns, collection management and commercialization practices of the most commonly collected species by the local households products and to estimate the potential to cash income generation. Transect walks, key informant interviews and semi-structured interviews with households and value chains representatives were carried out. Total number of 62households were identified via snowball and purposive sampling method, agreement with survey was obtain from each respondent. Based on the market survey, five main products – walnuts, apples, mushrooms, barberry, and rosehip, were identified according to percentage of households being involved in their harvesting. Data was processed via statistical methods to understand the potential relations between household resources/characteristics and NTFPs commercialization. Analysis of data from 25 members of different segments of value chain enabled to map current stage and way of products commercialization. Forest is very important for local people, all the questioned households are involved in the collection of NTFPs. Significant correlation was found between distance to the forest and amount of products collected, which also is due the fact that more remote forest provides higher quantities of the products. Climate change and, comparing to the Soviet times, not sufficient government of the forestry were identified as main problems by key informants. Combined with high usage by local population these problems result in degradation of the forest. Remittances from abroad might affect the collection quantities of identified NTFPs. Households with remittances tented to be less involved in the collection of NTFP. Our findings suggest more research on linkages between household economics and forest product collection as well as more active role of government to support sustainable harvesting of forest products.

Keywords

household characteristics, remittances, off-farm income, farming practices, Arslanbob

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 16. 5. 2020

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Vladimír Verner, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / field:
Tropical Agriculture / International Development and Agricultural Economics