Community Forests gain a foothold on the firewood market with customer orientated marketing
Firewood is a well-established product on the Namibian market with good potentials for further growth and increasing profit margins due to the high demand as well as the limited and remote availability of the resources. No wonder that there are a number of competing traders targeting for the same group of customers on this attractive market.
Among the suppliers fetching a constant growing share in this business are villagers in community forest areas in northeastern Namibia with their customer orientated production and marketing of firewood. Being one of the few forest products providing a reliable source of income in rural areas in Kavango and Western-Tsumkwe regions, where community forests have been established in recent years, people only have the chance to consolidate their share on the firewood market by making the product even more customer friendly. Apart from the environmentally sound utilization of only lying deadwood in line with sustainable forest management plans, special focus is put on packing, labelling and handling of the product. The latest clue to make customers favouring quality braaiwood from community forests is the innovative packing in 8 kg plastic bags with a sewn-in handle. The new packing makes it very easy to carry, load and store the firewood bags, even for women. Buyers of firewood produced in community forests therefore not only enjoy the comfort of a valuable product easy to handle, but at the same time support local people’s livelihoods and community development in remote and rural areas. After the deduction of the production costs like payment of the firewood harvesters, costs of plastic bags, etc., 70% of the profit goes into Community Development Funds for future community investments.


Petrus Karapo, firewood harvester of Ncumcara community forest trimming firewood pieces