Press release

Improved management, increased marketing of laalo mbep gum reduces rural poverty

USAID Documents Contributions of Natural Products to Sustainable Economic Growth in Tambacounda Region

DAKAR, Senegal, December 5, 2005 – Senegal’s market for laalo mbep gum, a food additive exported to Europe and valued for a variety of pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses, could triple and bring in 17 million FCFA in the near future if producers work together to tap this natural resource in a sustainable way, according to a new study released here today.

Fifty technical specialists and private sector and civil society representatives met today at a workshop hosted by USAID to discuss the study that documents the contribution of this Senegalese natural product in reducing poverty.

After reviewing the findings of the field study on the production and marketing of laalo mbep gum, participants began developing an action plan to increase the contribution of laalo mbep to Senegal’s rural development by identifying ways to influence policy and strengthen laalo harvesting and marketing.

“Research shows that when rural communities organize themselves to manage their natural resources like laalo mbep gum well, they not only work together to fight poverty through increased income but they also protect their environment and their future profits,” said Peter Trenchard of USAID/Senegal.

Laalo mbep gum, extracted from the Sterculia setigera tree, now accounts for more than 40% of the revenue from non-timber forest products produced by communities in the Tambacounda region of Senegal. Rural producers in the region earn approximately 270,000 FCFA per year. The production and marketing of laalo mbep gum creates livelihoods for many people, from producers, middlemen and wholesalers to retailers and exporters.

Senegal currently produces some 1,500 tons per year, and 1,000 tons are exported annually. According to the case study findings, while laalo is already a major contributor to rural incomes for many producers, there is considerable room to expand production, processing and marketing of laalo. Some 164 gum producers in the Tambacounda region have increased their revenue over the past year from 5.6 to 17 million FCFA --the result of ongoing assistance from USAID/Senegal’s Wula Nafaa project and in collaboration with Setexpharm and other private sector stakeholders.

The Senegalese study and Dakar workshop were funded through FRAME, a USAID program implemented by International Resources Group (IRG) that captures and shares knowledge within the natural resources management (NRM) community in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The FRAME program has focused on identifying local experiences where NRM practitioners have demonstrated the link between environmental conservation, poverty reduction and good governance. It then makes this information available for a wider audience through reports, interactive website and workshops.

Under the FRAME program, USAID recently initiated a multi-country study of natural products. These studies evaluated opportunities for policy interventions that will allow for the integration of natural products into rural development strategies. Fieldwork on natural product has been carried over the past six months in Senegal, the Philippines, Nepal and Guatemala. The laalo mbep gum workshop in Dakar is the first in a series of natural product workshops organized to review field study results.

Project assistance for the implementation of the case study recommendations will be provided through Wula Nafaa, with funding from the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection and USAID/Senegal.

Natural products -- broadly defined to include non-timber forest products and some non-traditional cultivated crops -- are an important component of rural incomes and benefit streams for poor households in many developing countries. Preliminary evidence from around the world suggests that when rural communities are organized around the production and trade of natural products and when these communities gain secure access to natural resources, there is an increased incentive to manage their resources. This in turn leads to additional sources of income and fosters economic growth. Read more about natural product case studies at http://www.usaid-sn.org/news/releases/www.frameweb.org.

For further information, please contact:
Baidy Ba, AG/NRM – Wula Nafaa National Coordinator, MEPN, http://www.wulanafaa.org/ , tel. 832 63 57 and
Peter Trenchard, USAID/Senegal, http://www.usaid-sn.org/index.html, tel. 869 61 00