Assessment of Heckl value chain and its contribution to the livelihoods of local populations in Eastern Cameroon.

The value chain analyses of a product can provide vital information for improving the production, value addition, market organization and boost the contribution of the product to the income of the stakeholders involved. Hence, this study was carried out on the value chain in Belabo, Cameroon. Twenty-three focus group discussions were held, and semi-structured surveys were administered to 135 stakeholders engaged in the value chain in the Belabo municipality. The results reveal that nuts, barks, and roots are the main parts collected. The nuts are marketed without processing while the barks and roots are consumed directly, marketed or processed into powder before consumption and marketing. value chain in Belabo has two levels of structuring, rural and urban. Nuts are sold by the unit or in buckets corresponding to the kilogram, with the price per nut ranging from 0.4 to 1.70 USD, depending on whether you're in the rural or urban market. It also varies according to production season and nut size. Barks and roots are sold all year round, generally in piled strips weighing approximately 100 g, with prices ranging from 0.17 to 1.75 USD on the rural and urban markets, respectively. The main stakeholders involved in the value chain are collectors/harvesters, local traders, retailers and wholesalers. Marketing provides more income to wholesalers and retailers, contributing over 35 % and 20 % to their annual income and less than 30 % and 15 %, respectively, to those of collectors and local traders. The major problems the value chain in this locality is facing are the attack of the product by weevils (24 % of citation), poor storage facilities and deforestation (14 %), price fluctuation, and lack of market (13.33 and 11.85 %). In Belabo, the marketing of is not profitable for the collectors, who are the main actors in the production chain characterized by rudimentary processing, poor storage and preservation techniques high marketing. The organization of the different stakeholder into association would help to better structuring the value in Belabo are the two main opportunities for improving the value chain with the potential of increase its contribution to the livelihoods of the different main stakeholders involved. In addition, policymakers should consider initiating innovations to boost production, support conservation, processing and price regulation to scale up economic and environmental benefits from .