Women play significant roles in the sustainable management of forests and in forest-related businesses. However, women often do not benefit equally. This briefing analyses the challenges women in four Mekong countries face and identifies how gender equality in the small-scale forest sector can be pursued.
In the informal forest sector, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are often characterised as “illegal”. This is the case when their modes of production, sources of raw material or legal status do not conform to their country’s regulatory requirements. In this brief, the FAO-EU FLEGT Programme and EFI make a case for acknowledging the complex circumstances of forest-sector MSMEs and argue that if MSMEs do opt to formalise their business, there should be incentives and support to ensure that they benefit from formal status.
MSMEs are the backbone of Myanmar’s economy. They constitute 99% of formally registered enterprises and generate significant livelihood and employment opportunities. But the pandemic has had severe impacts on customer demand, revenue, finances, workers and the availability and distribution of raw materials. Myanmar’s MSMEs also face difficulties accessing support from COVID-19 relief programmes. These are the findings of a survey of some 200 MSMEs conducted by the European Forest Institute (EFI) and the Sagawa Institute of Organization Development.
MSMEs are a vehicle for development and generate almost half of jobs in the formal forest sector globally. They are key to local economies, generating significant livelihood and employment opportunities. Yet the recent economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the vulnerability of MSMEs to sudden market developments. This brief describes the approach adopted by the European Forest Institute (EFI) over the last five years to support forest- and timber-based MSMEs in the Mekong region to operate legally and sustainably. The publication highlights the challenges and solutions tested, and lessons learnt from EFI’s interventions.
Little is known about wood-based MSMEs in the Mekong region, their characteristics, the number and gender of people involved in the businesses, their supply chains and levels of compliance with regulations. This brief provides analysis, insights and recommendations to improve the position of MSMEs in the Mekong forestry sector. It describes the types of businesses, their size and prevalence in the Mekong countries, how they operate and how they have organised themselves. It also outlines the reasons and consequences for informality, while also looking at the participation and empowerment of women in these enterprises.
Since 2016, the European Forest Institute (EFI) has been supporting wood-based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in four Mekong countries to operate legally and sustainably. Under its Forest Smallholders Project, EFI has been testing solutions to MSMEs’ key challenges in pilot projects. Lessons learnt from these pilots are documented and disseminated nationally, regionally and internationally. Through its support to MSMEs, the Project promotes gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the forest sector.
This website has been produced with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of funding organisations.
European Forest Institute
European Forest Institute