Forest Harvest Association:
Below the forest canopy, many products are harvested and traded by communities and their community forest producer groups. These non-timber forest products (NTFP) significantly contribute to the livelihoods and incomes of approximately 1.3 billion people who depend on forest resources and services. Despite this importance of the NTFP trade, it often goes unnoticed compared to the very visible timber trade.
BACKGROUND
The Non-Timber Forest Products – Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP) network covering South and Southeast Asia has been in the forefront of innovating solutions to achieving sustainable livelihoods and community-based resource management in partner areas in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam for the past 25 years. Honey, rattan, bamboo, resins, natural fibers, and forest food are just some of the products that they have developed and have brought to market.
Increasing values and market visibility of the community forest products has been a key goal of the network as a strategy to sustain and improve community livelihoods and promote sustainable forest management. The Forest Harvest Collective Mark (FHCM) is one such innovation that takes advantage of the rootedness in communities and the wide reach and presence of the network across the region and across NTFP value chains to ensure traceability of source and easy recall. A series of consultation took place with partners from the region, from development, starting with honey (2016) and eventually expanded to other products such as rattan and eco-textile (2021)
Board of Trustees
Rasdi Wangsa
Chairperson
Duncan Macqueen
Vice Chairperson
Femy Pinto
Secretary
Incorporators
Dr Ramon Razal
Treasurer
Incorporators
Emmanuelle Andaya
Incorporators
Dr Saw Min
Board Member
Hermanto
Board Member
Dr Luu Hong Truong
Board Member
Mathew John
Board Member
Forest Harvest Association VMGO
Vision
- A world where smallholder and community forest producers and products are highly valued and preferenced by companies and consumers.
- A world where smallholder and community forestry producers collective enterprises get a fair price for their diverse products that incorporates the costs of maintaining all forest ecosystem and cultural values
- A world where all of the values of community forestry products including traceability, legality, quality, sustainability, climate contributions, biodiversity conservation, social and cultural protection are appreciated, promoted, and spread
Mission
- To promote and sustain the Forest Harvest Collective Mark (FHCM), a community-led product guarantee process and label that is based on local knowledge and inclusive participatory practices that ensures traceability, legality, quality, sustainability and fair trade of community forestry products through participatory guarantee systems and principles.
- To create and sustain a community-guarantee processes that is credible and accepted by the market
- To grow Forest Harvest Association membership among diverse smallholder and community forest producer’s enterprise groups worldwide
Goals
- To raise the profile and bargaining power of smallholders and community forest producers in domestic and regional markets
- To increase the credibility of guarantees that smallholders and community forest producers make about their products traceability, legality, quality, sustainability, climate contribution, biodiversity conservation, social and cultural protection, and other product specific standards.
- To increase the income for smallholders and community forest producers through increased profile and credibility of smallholder and community forest products through the shared label and credible product guarantees
- Promote and safeguard community forestry products from exploitation and misrepresentation
Objectives
- Develop and monitor shared label standards for diverse forest products (traceability, legality, quality, sustainability, fair trade and product standards when applicable) that are competitive but still focus on protecting and preserving forests, increasing incomes and respecting local wisdom
- Develop an inclusive certification system around the Forest Harvest Collective Mark for shared label standards covering diverse forest products based on participatory processes that are recognized and accepted by the market and other stakeholders.
- Promote the effective marketing of smallholder and community forestry products carrying the Forest Harvest Collective Mark
- To strengthen the capacity of smallholder and community forest producer’s enterprise groups, belonging as members of the association, to develop shared labels offering credible product guarantee.
History of Forest Harvest Association
The early years
Institutionalization
List of Member
- Jaringan Kearifan Tradisional Indonesia (JKTI)
- San isidro Labrador Diocesan Multipurpose Cooperative
- NTFP-EP Asia
- Mount Malindang – Mount Pinukis honey hunters association
- Last Forest Enterprises
- Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Ltd
- NTFP-EP/Bamboo Professionals Inc.
- NTFP-EP Cambodia
- NatureWild Co. Ltd
- CustomMade Crafts Center, Inc.
- MRBEA
- NTFP-EP Indonesia
- NTFP-EP Vietnam
- Nola andaya (individual)
- Duncan Macqueen (Individual)
- Jaringan Madu Hutan Indonesia (JMHI)
- Koperasi Hutan Lestari
- Yayasan Riak Bumi Indonesia
- Kelompok Tani Madu Hutan Ujung Kulon
- Borneo Chic
- Kalandang Weavers Association
- FFF Program, Vietnam Farmers Association
- International Institute for Environment and Development (applying members)
- Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP) (applying members)