The benefits of collective action: Exploring the role of forest producer organizations in social protection

Little attention has been paid to the role of forest produce organizations in social development. The collective principles of forest producer organizations allow them to potentially provide formal and informal social protection benefits to their members in forest dependent communities. We review the literature to understand and document the role and practices of forest producer organizations in providing social protection. Our review finds that most of the social protection benefits provided by forest producer organizations are in the form of social insurance, informal insurance through pooled funds and social services in the community. However, there is limited evidence of the effectiveness or socio-economic impact of the social protection benefits provided by forest producer organizations. In addition, studies do not provide comprehensive information on design elements such as benefit levels, scope and duration. Our review also identifies a broad range of factors that enable or hinder the provision of social protection benefits and discusses the opportunities for strengthening and supporting the provision of social protection by forest producer organizations. The review's findings suggest that forest producer organizations can potentially contribute to the expansion of social protection coverage among the rural poor in line with the targets of the sustainable development goal (SDG) 1.