Exploratory market study for Lippia alba as an alternative sustainable production in the middle and lower basins of the Las Ceibas River, Neiva Colombia

Abstract

Medicinal plants constitute an important component of the non-timber forest resource that could contribute to the sustainable development of the inhabitants of the protected areas. According to various authors, the global market for medicinal plants is valued at approximately US$ 47 million; however, in Colombia the commercialisation of such plants is largely informal, making it difficult to estimate their value and impact on the rural communities. In the Las Ceibas River basin, that supplies water to the city of Neiva, we found the Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br medicinal plant to present the greatest potential for sustainable exploitation for the inhabitants of this strategic ecosystem. Given the above, we undertook an exploratory market study and elaborated a proposal for the sustainable production of Lippia alba as a strategic alternative for the management of the middle and lower basins of the Las Ceibas river. We identified the limitations and opportunities for the inhabitants of the middle and lower basins of the Las Ceibas river to introduce Lippia alba in the productive chain of medicinal plants in Colombia. We also identified the different institutional actors that could contribute to this process and the possibilities of introducing the plant’s essential oil into the national and international market, based on medium- and long-term agroindustrial development