ROLE AND IMPACT OF MARKET FORCES ON MEDICINAL PLANT USES AND CONSERVATION

ROLE AND IMPACT OF MARKET FORCES ON MEDICINAL PLANT USES AND CONSERVATION

PROBLEMS:      §Demand / Supply Imbalances     

§Ultimately impact on environment

§  No control over market forces

OBJECTIVES:   §To monitor/regulate and organise market forces

                                for sustainable conservation through recognition

                                and support of traditional; medicinal plant trade

STRATEGIES:   §Draft supportive legislation

§Create national/regional/international regulation

§Regulate market force

§  Encouragement of land provision for medicinal plant cultivation

§  Small business protection

CONSTRAINTS/NEEDS

§Lack of information

§Lack of capacity

§Lack of co-ordination

§Lack of political will

§Competition

§Poor pricing (standardization)

§Socio-economic factors

ACTIVITIES:     §Monitor the market forces and evaluation

                             §Create awareness

§Create an enabling environment

§Business training : capacity building

§Encourage local communities cultivation at various

levels through training (e.g.home gardens with both         food and medicinal plants)

§Develop ecological medicinal garden as training    centres

§Establish nurseries to encourage dissemination to             provide people who want to cultivate medicinal plants

MAIN ACTORS:         §Local communities

                             §Governments

                             §Chamber of Commerce

                             §Botanist/Universities/National Centre for Seeds

                                (Research Institutions)

                             §Banks

                             §Financial Institutions

§Private Sector (plants suppliers both local and international