Open Knowledge (FSC OK)

The development of different certification schemes in China relevant for NTFPs is described. The reasons for the difficulty in assessing the effects of certification are discussed and the effects on food quality, forest conservation and rural development are outlined. The conclusions drawn are that China has the technical and financial resources for establishing, managing and monitoring NTFP products, but, as yet, the role of certification is marginal, because it is easier and financially more attractive to fulfil certification conditions for agricultural crops and domesticated NTFPs. Small-scale, poor collectors and farmers will encounter difficulties in benefiting from existing opportunities unless supported by external organizations. Without a focused and continuous support of poor NTFP collectors, the efforts for NTFP certification in China, may, in the extreme, even devitalise the traditional NTFP markets that have immense importance for the rural poor.