Promoting Forest Value Chain in the Emerging Markets: The Value Creation and Value Appropriation Context

Abstract

Beekeeping is among the important activities which can potentially add value to the existing forests. Bee products are among the potential non-  timber forest product value chains which have remained unexploited. This qualitatively descriptive study examines how beekeepers create capture  values in the beekeeping industry in Tanzania. Interpretative analysis was used to describe triangulated data collected from purposively sampled  beekeeping units, =. The findings indicated that beekeepers create lesser value for various bee products because they use traditional means and  scope to produce, process and sell honey and honey products in the rural markets. The majority of these beekeepers have limited capabilities to  improve productivity, quality, and management channels. Beekeepers acquire lesser values because they target rural markets whose customers  usually have relatively lower incomes and thus less purchasing power. In other places, beekeepers capture lesser values of the harvested products  because of using inappropriate measurement units. For instance, the majority of beekeepers sell comb honey which is measured in volume and not  weight. Promoting the value chain of forest products improves the ability of chain actors to create values and capture a sizable additional profit  from the activity. Value addition in each stage will therefore improve the economic and social wellbeing and hence improving the livelihood of  stakeholders in each node in the value chain. The theoretical and empirical contribution to the industry architecture, value chain and value systems,  and the business model are substantial. Based on the stu.dy findings and conclusions, further studies are suggested on analysing how beekeeping  industry actors can co-create value for inclusive actors in the forest value chain.