Analysis of formal institutions and power relations along timber value chain in Liwale and Ruangwa districts, Tanzania
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Date
2024-05
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Timber is among rising highly value product worldwide. The
utilization of timber can help in promoting jobs to as many people as
possible through its value chain. In Tanzania, most past studies
conducted on timber value chain concentrated on market analysis
and illegal activities that are undertaken along the chain, fewer
studies assessed the institutions and power relations along the
chain. This study therefore analysed formal institutions and power
relations guiding timber value chain in Liwale and Ruangwa districts.
The study followed an institutional framework from which a sub
framework of legal and regulatory framework was formed. Therefore,
a definition provided by Douglass North on institutions was adopted.
The study defines institutions as the rules of the game. The study
also follows an Actors’ interface framework which was developed by
Norman Long an English socialist who studied the behaviours of
actors in agriculture value chain context. In the theory, actors in the
interface are characterized by discontinuities in interest, values and
power. There are however power struggles that cannot be avoided
in the actor’s interface but they can be solved through negotiations
and accommodations of all stakeholders thinking or ideas.
This study was conducted in Liwale and Ruangwa districts located in
the southern part of Tanzania. The study adopted an exploratory
cross sectional study design, in which qualitative data were collected
through in- depth key informant interviews, formal and informal talks
with people who are working along the timber value chain, focus
group discussion (FGDs), researchers own observations and
document reviews. Purposive and simple random sampling were
used to select participants for this study. 20 timber dealers, 5 forest
officers, 4 TFS agents, 15 members from the VNRCs, 3
representatives from MJUMITA, MCDI and TFCG and 2
representatives from FORVAC were involved in the study.
Qualitative data were analysed following six steps of thematic
analysis including transcribing interviews into text, going through the text, coding the text, grouping the codes to form themes, reviewing
the themes, describing the themes and assessing their relationships.
Dedoose platform was used for qualitative data analysis. Findings
show that institutions which are the rule and regulations created to
guide value chain activities, largely affect the development of timber
value chain in Liwale and Ruangwa districts. The government
remains to be the sole regulator of the value chain through
established rules and regulations. It was also discovered that all
actors along the timber value chain in Liwale and Ruangwa districts
operate under the same regulatory framework. Furthermore, the
study finds that there are power relations that exist among the timber
value chain actors in Liwale and Ruangwa districts respectively.
These are institutional, strategic and supportive power relations.
In addition to that there are power struggles that exists among some
of the timber value chain actors. For instance, the forest officers and
the Tanzania Forest Service (TFS) agents experience power
struggles among themselves this is mainly caused by the desire that
these two sides have on getting the revenues collected from the
timber dealers when sanctioned. Based on these findings, it is
concluded that formal institutions and power relations have a great
influence on the development of timber value chain in Liwale and
Ruangwa districts. Therefore, the policy makers should include all
actors in the timber value chain so as to avoid complaints and power
imbalance that comes with the established rules and regulations.
Description
MSc Dissertation
Keywords
Timber, Timber value chain, Actors of the timber value chain, Institutions, Power relations