Articles is allocated to the village development fund, 69.2% to individual harvesters, 11.55% for MOCAP-CIGÂ’s management and monitoring activities and 3.85% for government tax. Out of the 15.4% community share, 90% is shared equally among the various development projects of member villages, 7.5% is shared between the natural resource custodians (chiefs) and the remaining 2.5% is given as compensation to the village hosting the harvesters over any given period (Tieguhong et al, 2005; Tieguhong and Ndoye, 2006). Revenue generated from harvesting the first 100 tons of Prunus under the scheme, led to the allocation of US$66.7 to each custodian, and US$800 to each village for development projects agreed upon by the villagers. Several of these projects are now coming to fruition. Villagers reported that they would like to see funds spent on the following types of projects: community hall (56%), potable water (33%), electricity (11%), health center (11%), building a market (11%), building a school (11%) and others (22%) (Tieguhong and Ndoye, 2006). When the villagers were asked why they had identified the construction of a community hall as a priority (rather than a school or hospital) they responded that they needed a venue to hold discussions on their common development goals and how to reach them. It is clear from this that local level commitment and enthusiasm is essential for securing not only village development goals but also global targets such as the MDGs. In rural villages around Mount Cameroon, Prunus harvesting is supporting achievements in both of these areas.
40
ETFRN News 47 - 48/07
References Commission for Africa. 2005. Our Common Interest. Report of the Commission for Africa. March. 462 pp. Tieguhong J.C. and O. Ndoye. 2006. Commercialization of Prunus africana (African Cherry): impacts on poverty alleviation in Cameroon. Presented at the 15th Session of the African Forestry and Wildlife Commission. Workshop on forestry, wildlife and poverty alleviation in Africa 27-28 March 2006, Maputo, Mozambique. Tieguhong J. C., O. Ndoye, and E. J. Ekati. 2005. Community-based NTFP production and trade for rural poverty alleviation and resource conservation: Case of Prunus africana on Mount Cameroon, Cameroon. Paper presented at the International Symposium on NTFPs in Victoria, Canada. 25-27 August.Â’ WHO/UNICEF. 2004. Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply & Sanitation; Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target: a mid-term assessment of progress. 36pp. World Bank. 2004. The Little Green Data Book. Millennium Development Goals and World Development Indicators. P.56. Further information: Tieguhong Julius Chupezi and Ousseynou Ndoye Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Central Africa Regional Office BP 2008, Messa Yaounde, Cameroon Phone: +237 2237522 Fax: +237 2237437 Email: J.tieguhong@cgiar.org and o.ndoye@cgiar.org