Current statistics on non-wood forest products and services indicate that the levels of dependence on these by local communities is ever increasing with the rise in production costs and offer prices for the so called `modern products and services'. Highly processed medicines, foodstuffs and other wood and/or substitute commodities are becoming very expensive beyond the reach of the common people, the group that forms the greater percentage of the Zambian population.
Analysing such trends carefully, one would be excused to suggest that non-wood forest products have the greatest potential to offer a cheaper and more accessible alternative, as long as they are properly managed and utilised on sustainable management and utilisation principles. To do this, we will need to remove the obstacles that preclude the emergence of NWFP, not as substitutes, but as equal and/or priority commodities in the improvement of the standards of living of Zambian people. These obstacles include, among other things, the lack of documented information on the true value of non-wood forest products and services and market outlets for such products. In most instances, NWFP are considered secondary and are, therefore, only appreciated when other first class commodities become scarce and/or expensive.
Other obstacles include inaccessibility of production areas for NWFP due to bad roads and, therefore, high transport costs. There are also barriers associated with non-documentation of vital information on the multiple uses of NWFP across the country and internationally. In certain cases, even information to do with cross community boundary trade is missing.
There is, therefore, urgent need for commodity and value specific research. Natural Resource and/or biodiversity economic studies could just offer viable options for the improved management and sustainable utilisation of non-wood forest products and services. We will need to conduct Participatory Appraisal Surveys in order to get to the greatest possible in-depth problems and/or solution levels. There is already abundant knowledge on the value of NWFP and services in traditional circles and all that needs to be done is to mobilise such, organise and document it (knowledge) in a more accessible and usable form.
The era of valuing traditional wood products such as timber and wood fuel for example, more than NWFP and services should now be relegated to the past. After all, promotion of NWFP will reduce on deforestation related to cutting down of whole trees and agricultural expansion for food and income generation because NWFP can as well equally meet the demands for food and income by local communities and the nation at large. Promotion of NWFP and services will, therefore, lead to conservation of biodiversity and other ecosystems that our socio-economic development depends on.
