Certificate for craftsmen

Posted on 11 mar 2008

In Kenya it was decided to sell woodcarvings with a certificate. This certificate is a guarantee that during manufacturing of the handicraft woods the environment was preserved and the deforestation of threatened species of wood was prevented.

This certificate was initiated by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in collaboration with the handicraft industry, environmentalists and farming societies. It is presupposed that this certificate is a help-tool for from small farms.

The new certificate is a kind of project to encourage the craftsmen in carving handicrafts from farm-grown trees instead of threatened hardwoods for carving that have become threatened. Moreover, as farm-grown trees are more available, crafts of handmade gifts or handicrafts can provide a new income source for farmers.

Producing of handicrafts is very important field in Kenya, as only woodcarving is craft of up to 60,000 carvers. Annually, handicrafts bring over US$ 10 million to state revenue. This sum is mostly assured by export of considerable part of handicrafts. Handicrafts carved from wood are more popular among tourists.

According to environmentalists, Eastern Africa lost more than 20.000 threes each year to sustain the woodcarving industry. This certification protect areas of woods, offers new income for farmers, bring additional revenue for state, enlarge the woodcarving field and consequently the handcrafting sphere and of course saves that unique plant and animal species specific to the Eastern African coastal forests. The promoters of the project said that due to successful between WWF, Oxfam, Kenya Gatsby Trust, Kwetu and the National Museums of Kenya, the necessary skills in conservation, business development, marketing, quality assurance and capacity building were joined.