Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

data recorded by the Development Agent, the kebele covers an area of 47,237.7 ha of which 31,046
ha is estimated to be covered by forest. Of the total forest area 14,272 ha (46%) is estimated to be
bamboo forest by the Bale Eco-Region Sustainable Management Programme (BERSMP), through
interpretation of satellite images. The kebele has a total of 535 households with a total population
of 2,870.
This study focused on the community bamboo harvesters and thus point of entry was selected
to be the individual harvesters in Shedem. Further links and functions were then investigated by
departing from the harvester’s respective position, moving up and down the chain as necessary.
An effort was made to identify and incorporate all major chain actors in the sampling method.
In total 74 chain actors were interviewed. Table 1 provides an overview of the respective position of
actors in the chain and the various locations at which they operate. In Shedem, purposive sampling
was used to identify four settlement sites. Simple random sampling was then used to identify five
households in each of the settlement sites by using household list from the kebele’s Development
Agent data. All available and willing intermediaries and producers identified were interviewed while
consumers were randomly selected at the Goba and Robe bamboo markets.
Compiling cities
Bamboo area
Kebele boundary
(Shedem)
Figure 1. Map of study site. Source: Bale Eco-Region Sustainable Management Programme of
FARM-Africa and SOS Sahel Ethiopia
Four semi-structured questionnaires were used during the study period. The first one targets
community members at Shedem who are involved in bamboo harvesting. The remaining three target
the other chain actors (intermediaries, producers and consumers) within the value chain. To ensure
<strong>Walia</strong>-<strong>Special</strong> <strong>Edition</strong> on the Bale Mountains 215