Mapping Mangrove Wood Value Chain in Lamu County, Kenya

Mangrove wood is a vital commodity of commerce in Lamu County, supporting local communities that have depended on it as a source of livelihood for generations. Although mangrove wood has long been commercialized, information on its value chain is fragmented, and existing studies provide limited insights into its performance and impact. Communities and other stakeholders require a clear understanding of how value is created and the costs and benefits associated with each stage of production and trade. We therefore conducted value chain mapping in Lamu, the only county in Kenya where mangrove wood harvesting is legally permitted to identify the roles of actors, their interactions, the flow of inputs and outputs, and the functions performed at each stage. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey using stratified purposive sampling to select 380 actors for the interviews and discussions. Findings revealed that the chain operated as a complex system of interconnected vertical and horizontal relationships among the activities and the actors, with cutters serving as the central fulcrum of service delivery. Most participants were married adult men with limited education and low incomes, revealing their socio-economic vulnerability. Value creation activities included raising seedlings, planting, licensing, cutting, processing, loading, transportation, sorting, and marketing. The main products were poles, specifically boriti and pau that were traded through local, national, and export supply systems. Distribution of created value was gendered and disproportionately concentrated among downstream actors, who were mostly male, leaving growers, cutters, and other predominantly female actors disadvantaged. Therefore, we concluded that the mangrove wood value chain was a networked ecosystem marked by gender income disparity, with females engaged in low-earning chain activities. The findings highlight both theoretical and practical implications, underscoring the need for more integrative frameworks to understand networked systems and for strategies that promote fair pricing, sustainability, resilience, and protection of livelihoods.