Institutional scaffolding and market dynamics in the value chains of NTFPs in emerging economies: A systematic literature review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56678/iahf-2025.38.03.10Keywords:
Non-timber forest products, Value chain analysis, Price transmission, North East IndiaAbstract
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are central to rural livelihoods in emerging economies, yet their value chains remain fragmented, dominated by intermediaries, and analytically underexplored. This systematic review examines institutional frameworks and market dynamics of NTFP value chains, with particular focus on North East India. Following a PRISMA 2020-compliant protocol, 52 sources were synthesised from 788 identified records (2000–2025) using Global Value Chain governance theory and Price Transmission Theory. Three findings emerge: (1) state regulatory frameworks, including MSP-for-MFP, exhibit weak first-mile enforcement; (2) collective institutions like FPOs and VDVKs hold structural promise; and (3) formal econometric price transmission evidence is near-absent across NTFP chain nodes. A policy-research agenda centred on multi-node price data construction, threshold price transmission modelling, and quasi-experimental evaluation of collective enterprises is proposed.
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