Tag: reforestation
Quality of tree seedlings produced in nurseries in Malawi: an assessment of morphological attributes
Proceedings for Theory of Change Development Workshop for Enhanced National Greening Program
The agroforest alternative to imperata grasslands: when smallholder agriculture and forestry reach sustainability
Basic prerequisites for sustainable reforestation of Imperata grasslands in Southeast Asia are presented. A theoretical forest is designed according to these prerequisites. Composed of basic units managed by local smallholders, the forest is composed of two sets of commercial tree species suited to local conditions, one set providing regular cash income and the other providing seasonal or irregular cash income. Such composition ensures economic and ecological viability of the forest in the long run, provided that clear tenurial right on the basic units are recognized. Guidelines for a transition from Imperata grasslands to forest are presented, underlining the importance of relying on natural succession processes. The theoretical forest is identified as an agroforest, a diverse forest rebuilt and managed by farmers, providing forest and agricultural products for both cash income and household consumption. Agroforests have been developed for decades by indigenous farmers in some regions of Southeast Asia. Examples from Indonesia are presented to support the theoretical analysis. They show that the agroforest alternative is a valuable unifying concept for reforestation of Imperata grasslands, for a sustainable upland agriculture, and more generally for an equitable environmentally and economically sound development of rural areas in the humid tropics. sound development of rural areas in the humid tropics.
Agroforestry and the development of tropical forestry
This paper is divided into three parts. Part one deals specifically with deforestation. Deforestation is caused mainly by 1) conversion of forest lands into agricultural lands, 2) the quest for fuelwood and building poles, and 3) social and economic deprivation. The author warns of the dangers of confusing symptoms with cause of deforestation. Before embarking on the subject of agroforestry, the author, in the second part of this paper, gives a broad view of the ecological requirements of various plant species. The final, well detailed and comprehensive section deals specifically with agroforestry related aspects. A list of suitable agroforestry trees, shrubs and fodder crops is included.
Smallholder tree growing in South and Southeast Asia
This chapter sketches the context of this book. It addresses the questions why we focus on smallholder tree growing and why we discuss the Philippines as main case study country. Relevant background information related to the aforementioned questions is given, including a historical sketch on smallholder forest management and the development of concepts on smallholder tree growing in South and Southeast Asia, a review of farmers’ motivations and other controlling factors affecting tree growing activities, and a discussion on the need for sustainable land use and, related to this, recognition of farmers’ potential to produce wood and provide other forest benefits and ecological services. The chapter ends with an overview of the different sections under which the various chapters in this book have been arranged.
The reforestation value chain for the Philippines
The Philippines has almost 100 years of reforestation experience. In spite of this long history, reforestation efforts in the country have not reaped much success. In this paper, we propose that a more holistic and sustainable strategy be adopted for reforestation in the Philippines. We propose that a chain of key activities that add value to the whole reforestation be identified right at the start. This “reforestation value chain” (ReV Chain) can then be used as a guide for reforestation projects, from design to implementation to evaluation. Our main thesis is that the success of a reforestation project should take into account each of the components of the value chain right from the very beginning. The ReV Chain has several implications. First, reforestation efforts that address only part of the chain are likely to be unsustainable. In other words, each component of the value chain should be well thought of from the outset of a reforestation project. Second, policy makers and stakeholders will be better informed on where in the chain they can contribute best.
Smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate change and the roles of trees and agroforestry in climate risk adaptation: evidence from Bohol, Philippines
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of trees and agroforestry in climate change adaptation and mitigation. This paper analyzes how farmers, members of their households, and community leaders in the Wahig–Inabanga watershed, Bohol province in the Philippines perceive of climate change, and define and value the roles of trees in coping with climate risks. Focus group discussions revealed that farmers and community leaders had observed changes in rainfall and temperature over the years. They also had positive perceptions of tree roles in coping with climate change, with most timber tree species valued for regulating functions, while non-timber trees were valued as sources of food and income. Statistical analysis of the household survey results was done through linear probability models for both determinants of farmers’ perceived changes in climate, and perceived importance of tree roles in coping with climate risks. Perceiving of changes in rainfall was more likely among farmers who had access to electricity, had access to water for irrigation, and derived climate information from government agencies and mass media, and less likely among farmers who were members of farmers’ organizations. On the other hand, perceiving of an increase in temperature was more likely among famers who were members of women’s organizations and had more off/non-farm sources of income, and less likely among those who derived climate information from government agencies. Meanwhile, marginal effects of the regression on perceived importance of trees in coping with climate change revealed positively significant relationships with the following predictor variables: access to electricity, number of off/non-farm sources of income, having trees planted by household members, observed increase in temperature and decline in yield, and sourcing climate information from government agencies. In contrast, a negatively significant relationship was observed between recognition of the importance of tree roles, and level of education, and deriving income from tree products. In promoting tree-based adaptation, we recommend improving access to necessary inputs and resources, exploring the potentials of farmer-to-farmer extension, using participatory approaches to generate farmer-led solutions based on their experiences of climate change, and initiating government-led extension to farmers backed by non-government partners. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
Smallholder reforestation and livelihoods in the humid tropics: a systematic mapping study
Systematic mapping studies provide a snapshot of the literature based on systematic literature searches. In this systematic mapping study, the original research that links reforestation and livelihoods in the tropics was mapped and analysed to identify the trends, biases and gaps in the literature. In total, 339 papers from 92 journals were identified. Agroforestry Systems was the journal in which articles were most frequently published, and Cameroon and Indonesia the most frequently studied countries. The greatest number of authors came from the USA, and authors were most commonly affiliated with ICRAF. A limited collaboration between research groups in the tropical regions was identified. Anthropology and Social Sciences were the most frequent areas of research, especially in Africa. Latin America had more technical studies and more publications discussing payment for environmental services than the other regions. Based on the temporal analysis of the main terms in abstracts of the publications included, it was found that agriculture-related terms and terms related to the human component in the landscape were consistently prevalent in the literature relating reforestation and livelihoods throughout time. Agroforestry systems were especially important in small-scale reforestation and livelihoods. Trends, biases and gaps were discussed. Broader cooperation between tropical regions and between clusters of authors would be beneficial for research and practice.
A rapid assessment of farm forestry in Bohol: characterization constraints and recommendations
The statements above reflect the radical shift of P hilippine forestry throughout its history. But although an increasing number of people recogni ze that smallholders plant and nurture trees, these trees and their productive and protective functions are still invisible to the eyes of many, particularly policy-makers. Thus, the role of farmers as effective land managers and reforestation agents continues to be i gnored. The reality is, however, that in the Philippines perennial tree farming is no longer neglected, as some government officials stated a few years ago (NEDA 1981 as cite d by Kummer 1992), and the numerous observations of increasing tree cover in m any parts of the country (Garrity and Agustin 1995; Pasicolan et al. 1996) indicate that tree cultivation is widespread. In this paper tree farming is simply defined as: farmers gr owing trees on their land for economic return. As such, it applies to any type of tree, no t just timber. The island province of Bohol, Central Visayas, is just another of such pla ces where widespread, and mostly spontaneous, tree planting has been taking place. O fficially, reforestation efforts in Bohol started in the 1960s, when the Philippine governmen t successfully planted Swietenia macrophylla (hereafter referred to as mahogany) in Bilar and D agohoy reforestation projects. In the following years, tree planting gai ned momentum as people in the vicinity of the project area started to plant mahogany at a large scale, encouraged by the demonstration effect of the reforestation, governme nt support of tree planting with free seedlings, Local Government Unit (LGU) initiatives, and demand for lumber.