Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) features prominently in the semi-arid, deciduous savannas of southern Africa, and constitutes an essential part of the livelihoods, culture and spirituality of rural communities in its distribution range. Virtually all parts of the tree are used, including the fruits (locally consumed as fruit, or in beer/wine and jams, and internationally traded liqueur), kernels (food), oil (cooking, personal care products), bark, roots and leaves (medicine), and wood (carving, utensils, fuelwood). Commercialisation of marula products takes many forms, from household level trade in beer/wine to international markets for Amarula liqueur and the use of kernel oil in personal care products, such as by The Body Shop in a new cosmetics range. The commercialisation of marula brings a suite of opportunities for rural development and social upliftment, but also a number of challenges and threats - for subsistence users, for the resource base, and for traditional cultures and customs. The focus of this research project - "Winners and Losers in Forest Product Commercialisation" - was to weigh up the costs and benefits of marula commercialisation, and to recommend ways to ensure the delivery of a sustainable, equitable and efficient stream of benefits to rural producers. This briefing document presents some of the key policy findings from research studies conducted over the course of two years at three different study sites - Bushbuckridge, South Africa; Makhatini, South Africa; and the north-central region of Namibia (former Owamboland). It also identifies a number of policy interventions that are required to redress existing deficiencies impeding equitable and sustainable commercialisation. Although some of these proposed interventions might be marula-specific, it is intended that their application have broader relevance to other non-timber forest products (NTFPs) under commercialisation.