Determinants of actors’ involvement in the rattan value chain in Meme Division, Cameroon

This study examined the determinants of actors' involvement in the rattan value chain in the Meme Division, Cameroon.Explanatory sequential design was used.A multistage sampling technique was used to select 332 participants.Primary and secondary data sources were used.Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Results suggest that most rattan harvesters/collectors fall in the passive typology (51.1%), processors, activity-specific (70.2%), artisans and designers, active typology (62.1%) and government agencies and institutions, interactive typology (69%) in the value chain.Findings on the determinant of actors' involvement in the rattan value chain reveal that ecologically, rattan availability (36%), economically, income generation (35%), socially, community structure and networks (44%), and culturally, communal traditions (54%) were the most notable determinants.Results on the barriers impacting actors' involvement in the rattan value chain revealed that ecologically, deforestation (56%), economically, insufficient capital and investment opportunities (34%), socially, lack of skilled labour (37%) and gender norms (36%), were the most significant barriers.Government and organizations worldwide are urged to update environmental laws to reduce deforestation's ecological impact, foster investment opportunities, promote skills training, and challenge cultural stereotypes linked to participants in the rattan value chain, thereby improving the sustainability of rattan production.