Political Versus Techno-Economic Factors in the Development of Non-Timber Forest Products: Lessons from a Comparison of Natural and Cultivated Rubbers in Southeast Asia (and South America)

Dove, Michael R. 1995. Political versus Techno-Economic Factors in the Development of Non-Timber Forest Products: Lessons from a Comparison of Natural and Cultivated Rubbers in Southeast Asia (and South America). Society and Natural Resources 8:193-208.

18 Pages Posted: 11 Mar 2014

Date Written: 1995

Abstract

An outstanding historic example of development of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) involves the transition among the forest dwellers of Indonesia early this [20th] century, from gathering native forest rubbers to cultivating Para rubber fHevea brasiliensis), introduced from South America. The dynamics of this transition bring into question one of the key premises of current research on NTFPs, that the challenges to this development are largely technical and economic. Analysis of this transition and comparative data from South America suggest that the most important issue in NTFP development is not the size or efficiency of the return but rather who receives it. This analysis can contribute to a politically more informed analysis of the contemporary development of NTFPs and to improved understanding of relations between forest-dwelling peoples and the broader societies in which they live.

Keywords: colonial Dutch policy, Dutch East Indiea, Hevea brasiliensis, Para rubber, Indonesia, Kalimantan, non-timber forest products, peasant-state relations, rubber, South America, swidden agriculture, trade

Suggested Citation

Dove, Michael R, Political Versus Techno-Economic Factors in the Development of Non-Timber Forest Products: Lessons from a Comparison of Natural and Cultivated Rubbers in Southeast Asia (and South America) (1995). Dove, Michael R. 1995. Political versus Techno-Economic Factors in the Development of Non-Timber Forest Products: Lessons from a Comparison of Natural and Cultivated Rubbers in Southeast Asia (and South America). Society and Natural Resources 8:193-208., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2406776

Michael R Dove (Contact Author)

Yale University ( email )

Kroon Hall
195 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States
203-432-3463 (Phone)

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