Forest Products, Livelihoods and Conservation

28 Dental hygiene and livelihoods: a case of chewing sticks in Ghana

(Holbech 2000). Since almost all the individuals of the desired species have

been destroyed either as a result of persistent farming or from direct

exploitation, the remaining harvestable stems are small to medium sized, 12

cm to 25 cm diameter at breast height (Wong 1997). Therefore the cutlass (or

machete) is the main harvesting tool. However, some more organised

individuals, especially urban gatherers, occasionally use chainsaws to fell the

trees. The harvesting is extremely destructive as the entire bole is removed

for processing. The gatherers operate in teams, usually numbering between

three and five men, and at times are hired by a single trader. Harvested logs

are carried to a point that is accessible to vehicles. This operation is normally

undertaken by men, but women occasionally take part in carrying logs,

particularly when in need of immediate additional income. The logs are then

loaded and transported to urban centres, where they are taken over by

middlemen for distribution. Studies in Ghana have shown that a full truckload

contains about 200 logs (Amponsah 1978). The cost of a log depends on its

length and size as well as the relative costs of transportation.

RAW MATERIAL PRODUCERS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT

Raw material production area

The logs of Garcinia spp. harvested for the production of chewing sticks are

mostly obtained from the villages of Banso, Betinasi and Nkwanta in the south-

western part of Ghana. The geographical and socio-economic characteristics

of each settlement are briefly described below.

(Garcinia kola)

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