FORVAC in Brief
Forestry and Value Chains Development (FORVAC) was originally a 4-year programme (July 2018 – June 2022) funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (MFA Finland) and implemented under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania. However, in April 2022, the governments agreed to continue implementing the FORVAC Programme until July 2024. FORVAC contributes to increasing economic, social and environmental benefits from forests and woodlands. The expected outcome of the Programme is “Sustainably managed forests and forest-based enterprises generating income for community members and revenue for community social services”. FORVAC builds on the activities, experiences and lessons learned from three bilateral programs in Tanzania financed by Finland: National Forest and Beekeeping Programme (NFBKP II, 2013–2016), Lindi and Mtwara Agribusiness Support (LIMAS, 2010–2016), and Private Forestry Programme (PFP, 2014–2019). As FORVAC is doing, NFBKP II and LIMAS worked under the Community-based Forest Management (CBFM) regime to advance sustainable forest management and generate income and employment to communities of declared Village Land Forest Reserves. PFP also shares experiences in value chain development, mobilization of rural communities for economic activities, and developing training and extension services for small-scale forest enterprises.
