Partnerships, value chain upgrading and performance in the forestry sectors of Tanzania and Uganda

Uganda faces several constraints in its forestry sector. Fragmentation of the sector and a lack of collective strength result in lost opportunities in policy advocacy; product development; sharing of market information; expanding to new markets; developing market standards; and taking advantage of training and support offered by government or non-government organizations funded initiatives. Specifically in the forestry sector the Uganda Government has asserted that “the key to poverty alleviation and sustainable forest management lies with those stakeholder groups that are involved in production, utilization and processing of forest produce” (Uganda Forest Sector Coordination Secretariat, 2001). As highlighted by Auren & Krassowska (2004), a broad spectrum of forestry-based associations exist in Uganda in terms of their geographical scope, their level of formalization and their objectives – from those focusing primarily on social welfare of members to those entrepreneurs who collaborate to achieve some commercial advantage in a competitive market. To empower tree growers associations in Tanzania, the Forestry and Beekeeping Department (FBD) in conjunction with service providers like Green Resources Limited provide a number of development support activities to them ranging from technical forestry, associations’ management guidelines and establishment of alternative income generating activities to marketing techniques. For more detailed information on the forestry sectors in the two countries, see Walusimbi (2014, forthcoming). This paper thesis explores the quality of partnerships between small to medium sized commercial forestry producers in Tanzania and Uganda, and their associations, and the impact these partnerships have on upgrading of activities and ultimately business performance.