MDG3-ch4.qxd 31/8/05 9:47 am Page 79 79 4 Advancement through association: Appropriate support for associations of small and medium forest enterprises

Document begins: MDG3-ch4.qxd 31/8/05 9:47 am Page 79 79 4 Advancement through association: Appropriate support for associations of small and medium forest enterprises Duncan Macqueen, Sonja Vermeulen, Cornelius Kazoora, Frank Merry, Sharon Ousman, Sushil Saigal, Shao Wen and Horst Weyerhauser(1) I. INTRODUCTION Small-scale enterprises are vital to the lives of a high proportion of poor people around the world. Associations among such enterprises can strengthen their position ­ by reducing costs, amplifying benefits and putting small-scale businesses in a position where they can effectively engage with big business and governments. In this chapter, the focus is primarily on the forest sector, and small- and medium-scale forest enterprises (SMFEs). SMFEs are often defined as enterprises with fewer than 100 1. Duncan Macqueen and Sonja Vermeulen are with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED); Cornelius Kazoora is with the Sustainable Development Centre, Makere University, Uganda; Frank Merry is with the Woods Hole Research Centre, USA; Sharon Ousman is with the Guyana National Initiative for Forest Certification (GNIFC); Sushil Saigal is with Winrock International India; and Shao Wen and Horst Weyerhauser are with ICRAF-Kunmin in China. MDG3-ch4.qxd 31/8/05 9:47 am Page 80 80 employees(2), yet this definition is so broad, and the ...