This document examines community forests (CFs) in Cameroon as social enterprises. It finds that while CFs meet some criteria of social enterprises, there are gaps compared to an ideal model. Specifically, the economic dimension of CFs is significantly less developed than the ideal, focusing mainly on timber. The governance dimension also shows gaps in participatory decision making. However, the social goals of CFs are well aligned with social enterprises. To better meet the social enterprise model, CFs need to diversify income sources, improve governance practices, and receive official recognition and support as social enterprises. With capacity building and policy changes, CFs could develop into more successful social enterprises.

1. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
The State of community forest (CFs)
as successful social enterprises:
Empirical evidence from Cameroon

2. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
TABLE OF CONTENT
Results: Governance dimension of CFs as social
enterprises
Level of CF-level governance
Results: Economic dimension of CFs as social
enterprises
Economic dimension of CFs
Results: Social dimension of CFs as social enterprises
How CFs meet social goals9
10
6
CFs as social enterprises per EMES
How CF configuration meets EMES criteria
Moving forest management to the people
How the forest management devolution went
CFs as social enterprises
Legal obligations that make CFs social enterprises
2
3
1
How Can CFs be developed into successful
social enterprises in Cameroon?
Actions that can make CFs successful social enterprises
Results: Extend of CFs as social enterprises
How current CFs framework is from the EMES –ideal type11
12Methods
Data collection sites, survey method and analysis
4
5
Research Questions
Questions to be answered in this paper
Conclusion
Main conclusions from the paper
13
Results: Social dimension of CFs as social enterprises
How CFs meet social goals
7
Areas for further research
Petinent research questions to be answered14
Results: Social dimension of CFs as social enterprises
How CFs meet social goals
8

3. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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Moving forest management to the
people
• Communities gained management right for <=5000ha
over a 25 year renewable period.
• Significance advances in laws with the management
manual for community forests outlining how community
forests should be managed.
• After 20 years of CF management mixed results emerge
with successes and failures.

4. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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CFs as social enterprises
• Constitution as CIG, Economic interest group, association
and cooperative are legal forms associated with social
enterprises.
• Proceeds from forest management is not to be shared but
for community development
• Profit distribution to members is forbidden
• Governance set-up do not consider shareholders,
decision making is based on one man one vote of
stakeholders

5. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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CFs as social enterprises per EMES
Key
dimensio
n
Indicator Conformity with legal configuration of CFEs in Cameroon
Economic
and
entrepren
eurial
dimension
Continuous production Village communities which have a signed management agreement with the forestry administration, can harvest by
themselves for profit, in an artisanal or semi-industrial way, the timber and Non-timber forest resources in the
forests which have been allocated (MINFOF, 2009; pp 30)
Some paid work The community or partner bears the cost of production activities
Economic risk The community is free to engage in business activities with different partners while respecting the directives of the
SMP.
Social
dimension
Explicit social aim The aim of the CFE must go beyond the management of the community forest to the development of the village
(MINFOF, 2009; pp 11)
Limited profit distribution The proceeds from the sale of forest products from a community forest go entirely to the community concerned.
Revenues drawn from the community forest will not be shared between members of the legal entity nor between
members of the community. These revenues should be allocated only to finance the recurrent expenditure of the
legal entity or provide social amenities (Water supply, village electrification, road construction etc) that are
beneficial to the whole community.
Initiative launching The decision to develop and invest in a CFE is a collective decision of all members of the community.
Governan
ce
dimension
Degree of autonomy The exploitation of resources within the CF, the profits from income generating activities (CFEs), distribution of
profits is the sole responsibility of the forest community (MINFOF, 2009)
Participatory nature According to article 28(1) of the Decree, all components of the community concerned must be consulted about the
management of the community forest. To this end, the chosen legal entity must be as much as possible
representative of all components of the community concerned (MINFOF, 2009; pp 12)
Decision-making Decision making should include all components of the community, a minimum number of members who must be
present during a meeting for a valid decision to be taken on behalf of the legal entity or management team should
be defined. This will entail providing majority rules to be followed during decision making ((MINFOF, 2009; pp 50)

6. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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Research Questions
•To what extend are CFs in Cameroon
social enterprises?
•Which dimensions of CFs management in
Cameroon are closer to those of
successful social enterprises?

7. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Your Subtitle HereMethods
• A total of 38CFs were selected from 05 regions of
Cameroon: Centre, South, East, Littoral and South West
region
• Key informant, focus group discussions and individual
surveys were used to collect data from each CF
• Building from the EMES ideal-type of social enterprise, a scale of
1-5 was used for the three dimensions(Economic, social and
environmental) and the nine indicators.

8. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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Results: Economic dimension of CFs as
social enterprises
85%
10%
3% 3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Timber NTFPs Eco-tourism Tree planting
Distribution of CFs by typology of enterprise
0
1
2
3
4
1
2 3 4
5
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171819
20
212223
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
363738
Economic dimension
Continuous production Some paid work Economic risk
Indicator
% of expected
score
Continuous
production 45%
Some paid work 46%
Economic risk 48%

9. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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Results: Social dimension of CFs as social
enterprises
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1
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38
Social dimension
Explicit social aim Limited profit distribution Initiative launching
Indicator % of expected score
Explicit social aim 60%
Limited profit distribution 59%
Initiative launching 61%

10. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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Results: Governance dimension of CFs as
social enterprises
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
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3.5
4
1
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governance dimension
Degree of autonomy Participatory nature Decision-making
Indicator % of expected score
Degree of autonomy 57%
Participatory nature 48%
Decision-making 54%

11. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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Results: Extend of CFs as social enterprises.
Dimension
Indicator
Chi-square test
significance level
Comment
Economic
Dimension
Continuous production 0.015 Significant gap from EMES-Ideal
CriteriaSome paid work 0.017
Economic risk 0.023
Social
dimension
Explicit social aim 0.573 No significant gap from EMES-ideal
Limited profit distribution 0.451
Initiative launching 0.544
Governance
dimension
Degree of autonomy 0.460
No significant gap from EMES-ideal
type criteria
Participatory nature 0.040
Significant gap from EMES-Ideal
Criteria
Decision-making 0.211
No significant gap from EMES-ideal
type criteria

12. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
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How Can CFs be developed into
successful social enterprises in
Cameroon?
• Mentality shift from viewing CFs as timber enterprises to a
production unit that can engage in other income generating
activities such as NTFPs, agriculture, aquaculture and tourism
• Entrepreneurial capacity of rural communities are low, significant
capacity building is required.
• Policy advocate for CFs to be officially recognised as social
enterprises so they can benefit from their status as social
enterprises.
• Capacitate communities on good community level governance
practices.

13. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Your Subtitle HereConclusion
• CFs in Cameroon in their current form do not meet the
criteria of successful social enterprises.
• Economic/entrepreneurial dimension of CFs is
significantly far from the ideal successful EMES-types
social enterprise
• Governance dimension is equally not close to the ideal
EMES-ideal type criteria for all indicators.
• Efforts can be made for CFs to improve their social
dimension

14. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
Your Subtitle HereAreas for further research
•How can efficient business models be developed
for CFs to be successful social enterprises?
•What is the required governance framework
for CFs to be effective social enterprises?
•What is the required community capacity for
developing social enterprises?

15. Transforming Lives and Landscapes with Trees
World Agroforestry (ICRAF),
United Nations Avenue, Gigiri,
P.O Box 30677-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254 20 722 4000
Fax: +254 20 722 4001
Email: icraf@cgiar.org
Website: www.worldagroforestry.org
Thank you!
(p.mandiefe@cigar.org)
00237679674489