American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics

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Gender-Based Differences in the Commercialisation of Rattan and Bamboo as Livelihood Support Option for Rural and Urban Poor in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges

Received: 16 December 2016    Accepted: 03 January 2017    Published: 19 January 2017
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Abstract

This study investigated the gender-based differences in the commercialisation of rattan and bamboo in Ghana, the opportunities available to rural and urban poor communities engaged in the value chain of rattan and bamboo resource and the challenges they face in their quest to earn a living from the industry. Using snowball sampling, 106 actors in the value chain of the industry were sampled from rural and urban communities where rattan and bamboo are harvested, processed and marketed. Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were the main data collection tools. The results showed that even though males dominate the value chain, females play two important roles: harvesting and supplying of raw rattan and bamboo to processors. Whereas rural males and females are mostly engaged in the harvesting of the resource their urban counterparts are engaged in the processing and marketing of products from the resource. The limited role played by women in the value chain was partly due to their low self-efficacy resulting from gender stereotype and their traditional roles in the home. Those involved in all the stages of the value chain reported daily income of about USD8.00 and this diminishes to 19.8%, 23%, and 36% of it for harvesters, processors and marketers, respectively. The amount accrued to harvesters was found to be lower than the average daily wage of hired labour, suggesting that the commercialisation of rattan and bamboo has not improved the economic status of rural people. Economics of scale and product quality were the main inhibiting factors for successful commercialisation of the resource. Policy interventions aimed at increasing rural participation in the value chain should include removal of gender stigmatization, providing rural artisans with technical and marketing support, and establishing cottage industry as part of effort to integrating rural businesses communities’ into local tourism. International visibility of rattan and bamboo industry in Ghana, which thus far has remained poor, requires urgent attention from governmental and non-governmental agencies.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11
Published in American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics (Volume 2, Issue 1, February 2017)
Page(s) 1-11
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Value Chain, Low Self-Efficacy, Gender Stereotype, Economics of Scale, Product Quality

References
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Author Information
  • Department of Construction and Wood, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Construction and Wood, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Construction and Wood, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

  • Department of Construction and Wood, University of Education, Winneba, Ghana

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    Martin Amoah, Joseph Asomani, Raphael Kwasi Dzakpasu, Frank Asafuah. (2017). Gender-Based Differences in the Commercialisation of Rattan and Bamboo as Livelihood Support Option for Rural and Urban Poor in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges. American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics, 2(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11

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    Martin Amoah; Joseph Asomani; Raphael Kwasi Dzakpasu; Frank Asafuah. Gender-Based Differences in the Commercialisation of Rattan and Bamboo as Livelihood Support Option for Rural and Urban Poor in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges. Am. J. Environ. Resour. Econ. 2017, 2(1), 1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11

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    Martin Amoah, Joseph Asomani, Raphael Kwasi Dzakpasu, Frank Asafuah. Gender-Based Differences in the Commercialisation of Rattan and Bamboo as Livelihood Support Option for Rural and Urban Poor in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges. Am J Environ Resour Econ. 2017;2(1):1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11,
      author = {Martin Amoah and Joseph Asomani and Raphael Kwasi Dzakpasu and Frank Asafuah},
      title = {Gender-Based Differences in the Commercialisation of Rattan and Bamboo as Livelihood Support Option for Rural and Urban Poor in Ghana: Opportunities and Challenges},
      journal = {American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics},
      volume = {2},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-11},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajere.20170201.11},
      abstract = {This study investigated the gender-based differences in the commercialisation of rattan and bamboo in Ghana, the opportunities available to rural and urban poor communities engaged in the value chain of rattan and bamboo resource and the challenges they face in their quest to earn a living from the industry. Using snowball sampling, 106 actors in the value chain of the industry were sampled from rural and urban communities where rattan and bamboo are harvested, processed and marketed. Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were the main data collection tools. The results showed that even though males dominate the value chain, females play two important roles: harvesting and supplying of raw rattan and bamboo to processors. Whereas rural males and females are mostly engaged in the harvesting of the resource their urban counterparts are engaged in the processing and marketing of products from the resource. The limited role played by women in the value chain was partly due to their low self-efficacy resulting from gender stereotype and their traditional roles in the home. Those involved in all the stages of the value chain reported daily income of about USD8.00 and this diminishes to 19.8%, 23%, and 36% of it for harvesters, processors and marketers, respectively. The amount accrued to harvesters was found to be lower than the average daily wage of hired labour, suggesting that the commercialisation of rattan and bamboo has not improved the economic status of rural people. Economics of scale and product quality were the main inhibiting factors for successful commercialisation of the resource. Policy interventions aimed at increasing rural participation in the value chain should include removal of gender stigmatization, providing rural artisans with technical and marketing support, and establishing cottage industry as part of effort to integrating rural businesses communities’ into local tourism. International visibility of rattan and bamboo industry in Ghana, which thus far has remained poor, requires urgent attention from governmental and non-governmental agencies.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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    AU  - Martin Amoah
    AU  - Joseph Asomani
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    JF  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
    JO  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-787X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20170201.11
    AB  - This study investigated the gender-based differences in the commercialisation of rattan and bamboo in Ghana, the opportunities available to rural and urban poor communities engaged in the value chain of rattan and bamboo resource and the challenges they face in their quest to earn a living from the industry. Using snowball sampling, 106 actors in the value chain of the industry were sampled from rural and urban communities where rattan and bamboo are harvested, processed and marketed. Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were the main data collection tools. The results showed that even though males dominate the value chain, females play two important roles: harvesting and supplying of raw rattan and bamboo to processors. Whereas rural males and females are mostly engaged in the harvesting of the resource their urban counterparts are engaged in the processing and marketing of products from the resource. The limited role played by women in the value chain was partly due to their low self-efficacy resulting from gender stereotype and their traditional roles in the home. Those involved in all the stages of the value chain reported daily income of about USD8.00 and this diminishes to 19.8%, 23%, and 36% of it for harvesters, processors and marketers, respectively. The amount accrued to harvesters was found to be lower than the average daily wage of hired labour, suggesting that the commercialisation of rattan and bamboo has not improved the economic status of rural people. Economics of scale and product quality were the main inhibiting factors for successful commercialisation of the resource. Policy interventions aimed at increasing rural participation in the value chain should include removal of gender stigmatization, providing rural artisans with technical and marketing support, and establishing cottage industry as part of effort to integrating rural businesses communities’ into local tourism. International visibility of rattan and bamboo industry in Ghana, which thus far has remained poor, requires urgent attention from governmental and non-governmental agencies.
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