James M. Roshetko

Future Challenge: A Paradigm Shift in the Forestry Sector

This chapter re-visits the facts and figures of previous chapters, augmenting the discussion with other relevant literature. It reviews trends in regional defor- estation, human population growth, and demands for forest (tree) products; and provides an overview of common tree-based landuse and management systems and their potential contribution to expand the regional forest base and generate forest products and services. Emphasis is placed on the contribution of smallholder tree- based (agroforestry) systems, given their additional function of supporting rural livelihoods of the potential of smallholder agroforestry systems to contribute to sustainable forest management and rural livelihoods are identified and discussed. Enabling conditions, institutional and policy support, and market oriented strate- gies are all discussed as means to strengthen the development and productivity of smallholder agroforestry systems. Discussions on those topics are well supported with citations and lessons learned emphasizing the experience from the Philippines. The main message of the chapter is twofold: (1) a paradigm shift in the forest sector is required to recognize the contribution and importance of smallholder systems to achieve sustainable forest management objectives; and (2) there is a need to adopt more holistic and sustainable strategies to support and strengthen institutions and smallholder system development, including linkages with the market.

Tree Domestication in Agroforestry: Progress in the Second Decade (2003–2012)

More than 420 research papers, involving more than 50 tree species, form the literature on agroforestry tree domestication since the 1992 conference that initiated the global programme. In the first decade, the global effort was strongly led by scientists working in humid West Africa; it was then expanded to the rest of Africa in the second decade, with additional growth in Latin America, Asia (mostly SE Asia) and Oceania. While the assessment of species potential and the development and dissemination of techniques for improved germplasm production were the principal activities in the first decade, the second decade was characterized by a growing research agenda that included characterization of genetic variation using morphological and molecular techniques, product commercialization, adoption and impact and protection of farmers’ rights. In parallel with this expanding research agenda, there was also an increasing use of laboratory techniques to quantify genetic variation of the chemical and physical composition of marketable products (e.g. essential oils, food-thickening agents, pharmaceutical and nutriceutical compounds, fuelwood). Looking to the third decade, suggestions are made for further development and expansion of both the science to underpin agroforestry tree domestication and applied research in support of development programmes to enhance the livelihoods of poor smallholder farmers worldwide.

Household and farm attributes affecting adoption of smallholder timber management practices by tree growers in Gunungkidul region, Indonesia

Farm household characteristics determine the success of programs promoting agroforestry systems and practices. This paper reports household and farm factors affecting the adoption of timber management practices by smallholders in the Gunungkidul region, Central Java, Indonesia. The research used three logistic regression analysis models—based on each household and farm characteristic, and a composite of both together—to identify the key factors influencing farmers’ adoption and management decisions, and their relative importance. A sample of 152 farmers who managed their trees primarily for timber production was compared to a sample of 115 farmers with similar socio-economic characteristics who did not. The household condition and composite models identified both on-farm and off-farm gross incomes as significant factors affecting farmers’ decisions to manage timber trees. The models confirmed that farmers with larger farms, and with higher on- and off-farm incomes, were more likely to manage their trees for timber production. These results have implications for extension programs that promote adoption of commercial timber management by smallholders in the case study and similar regions.

Farmer Tree Planting Barriers to Sustainable Forest Management

Agroforestry provides productive and protective forest functions valued by societies as sustainable forest management. Yet, trees planted in agroforestry systems are excluded in formal definitions and statistics and overlooked in legal and institutional frameworks for sustainable forest management. Likewise, smallholder farmers frequently face barriers when planting or re-planting trees on farms. We examine six issues that hinder a regreening revolution based on farmer tree planting, as discussed in various other book chapters. First, issues of terminology for forests, plantations, and reforestation are linked to land tenure and land-use restrictions. Second, access to high-quality planting material remains a challenge, especially at the farmer level. Third, management skill and information often constrain production for lucrative markets. Fourth, overregulation often restricts market access for farmer grown tree products, partly due to rules intended to curb illegal logging from natural forests or government plantations. Fifth, there is a lack of reward mechanisms for environmental services provided by agroforestry. Sixth, there is a lack of supportive legal and institutional frameworks for smallholder tree growing and agroforestry in general. Current relationships between agroforestry and plantation forestry are perceived as complementary, neutral or competitive, depending on the ability of (inter)national policy frameworks to provide a level playing field for the provision to society at large of productive and protective forest functions. In conditions where plantations operate with substantial government subsidies, in contrast to non-existent or minimal subsidies for agroforestry, farmers’ potential to produce wood and provide other forest benefits and ecological services is placed at a disadvantage, to the detriment of society at large.

Sugar palm (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) for livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in the orangutan habitat of Batang Toru, North Sumatra, Indonesia: mixed prospects for domestication

Domestication of desirable forest resources in agroforestry is expected to contribute to community based forest conservation efforts, but there may be an optimum level of domestication in this respect. Aren or sugar palm (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) is a multipurpose tree that provides livelihoods for local people and food for other biota in the landscape. However, its domestication is still limited in many places, such as in Batang Toru Forest Block, an area of high conservation value, including habitat for the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii). Options for aren management were prioritized as part of a landscape-scale conservation study by comparing domestication levels in the area. Data on economic indicators and ecological knowledge were gathered through interviews with key farmers, focus groups and transect walks. Four representative villages were selected for the study, that is, (i) two villages with no domestication of aren; and (ii) two villages with aren cultivation in rubber-based land-use systems. Costbenefit analyses suggested that in a rich biodiversity area, such as Batang Toru, although aren was one of the sources of local livelihoods, additional investment for domestication beyond cultivation was not an option considered by farmers. Farmers still perceived wildlife as an efficient mode of aren regeneration, supported by the coexistence of people and other biota in the area. It appears the value of aren for local people’s livelihoods and conservation can be enhanced by increasing its stocking density. There is also scope for improving market access and share of end-user value received by farmers.

Dudukuhan Tree Farming Systems in West Java: How to Mobilize Self-Strengthening of Community-Based Forest Management?

Dudukuhan are traditional tree farming systems in West Java, Indonesia and can be divided into four types: (1) timber systems, (2) mixed fruit-timber-banana-annual crop systems, (3) mixed fruit-timber systems, and (4) fallow systems. Traditionally dudukuhan are managed on an extractive basis, with few inputs (quality germplasm, fertilizers, labor, etc.) allocated to maintain or improve system productivity. Farmers favour this management approach because of limited land tenure, small landholding size, off-farm employment opportunities, limited market access, or their limited experience with intensive tree management. Depending on the socioeconomic conditions and market opportunities the management of a specific piece of land may shift between the four types of dudukuhan. This transformation occurs gradually over a number of years and affects the tree diversity and total number of trees in the system. A desire for tree products, market opportunities, and land tenure status are the key factors that influence farmers’ decision concerning which type of dudukuhan to develop. Positive changes in these factors have a positive influence on tree diversity and tree density. Income generation is the primary factor influencing farmers’ choice of tree species. Soil conservation is a secondary but important factor influencing both choices of dudukuhan and tree species. Farmers are interested in intensifying the management of their dudukuhans, but hesitate because they do not know where to focus their efforts. Experience indicates that Nanggung farmers may be best served by transforming their traditional subsistence tree farming systems into semi-commercial enterprises that yield products to meet both home and market demand.

Tree Seed and Seedling Supply Systems: A Review of the Asia, Africa and Latin America Models

The paper reviews tree seed and seedling supply systems in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. Across these regions, the review found that some of the germplasm supply systems do not efficiently meet farmers’ demands and environmental expectations in terms of productivity, species and genetic diversity. In some countries, germplasm used is mostly sourced from undocumented sources and often untested. Germplasm quality control systems are only found in a few countries. Appreciation of the value of tree germplasm of high genetic quality is low. Non-government organisations (NGOs) in many African countries play a prominent role in the supply of germplasm which is usually given to farmers without charge. The practice of giving farmers free germplasm by NGOs in many African countries and also government participation in germplasm supply in some Asian countries has been blamed for crowding out private entrepreneurs, although this is not substantiated by any evidence to suggest that the smallholder farmers are willing and able to pay for the germplasm. In some Latin American countries, private companies, government and NGOs provide farmers tree germplasm in a partnership in which farmers provide land and labour in return. Overall, tree germplasm markets are large in Asia, due in part to large afforestation programs, intermediate in Latin America and small in Africa where smallholder farmers constitute the market. In countries where germplasm quality control is practiced, it is either through a legal framework or voluntary. A few countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have developed protocols for certification of tree seeds based on the OECD. Some germplasm suppliers use branding as a way of differentiating their germplasm as having superior quality. To enhance the use of high quality germplasm, there is a need to demonstrate the value of using such germplasm and raise awareness of germplasm quality among the farmers and policy-makers.

Finding alternatives to swidden agriculture: does agroforestry improve livelihood options and reduce pressure on existing forest?

Swidden cultivation can contribute to deforestation and land degradation, which can subsequently result in a number of serious environmental problems. This paper examines the economic and social potential of agroforestry systems and the barriers to their widespread adoption, as a land use alternative to swidden cultivation, which may potentially help protect local forest. The Gunung Salak valley in West Java, Indonesia is presented as a case study. Based on farmers’ and experts’ assessment, costs and benefits have been estimated, which show that the two investigated agroforestry systems have higher net present value and benefit-cost ratio (B/C) than the two swidden cultivation systems. Tree ownership also creates more permanent rights to farmland and is prestigious in the community. Agroforestry products (fruit, vegetables etc.) have high monetary value and help strengthen social cohesion when shared with neighbors. However, farmers are reluctant to implement agroforestry. Stated reasons are related to both culture and capacity. Farmers practicing agroforestry are less involved in forest clearing and forest products collection than swidden farmers indicating that it may contribute positively to conservation of local forests. Increasing the adoption of agroforestry farming in the study area will require support to overcome capacity constraints.

Preparing the ground for better landscape governance: gendered realities in southern Sulawesi

In recognition of the importance of effective and equitable governance at the landscape scale in enhancing human and environmental well-being, we use a recently developed framework for assessing mens and womens involvement in local governance. These results set the stage for an ongoing examination of the success of the AgFor project in southern Sulawesi in achieving this goal. Our findings establish a baseline on gender and governance in five communities with landscapes that include forestry, agroforestry, and agriculture: Bonto Tappalang and Tana Toa in South Sulawesi, and Tawanga, Ladongi, and Wonua Hua in Southeast Sulawesi. These indicators, which we complement with ethnographic insights, fall into two categories: (1) level of public involvement and (2) skills relevant for political action, each of which is assessed for both women and men. Our findings reflect what we believe to be a comparatively equitable gender situation in Sulawesi, with hopeful prospects for enhancing womens (and mens) public involvement in governance. We conclude with some practical and ethnographically informed suggestions for enhancing collaboration with women and men in these (and similar) communities.

Prioritizing underutilized tree species for domestication in smallholder systems of West Java.

This paper provides an overview of a tree species prioritization study of underutilized tree species in a participatory tree domestication program for smallholders in Indonesia. The study was conducted in three villages of Nanggung sub-district, Bogor district via farmer surveys, focus group discussion, SWOT analysis and evaluation of markets and germplasm sources. Five priority species were identified: Manglietia glauca, Parkia speciosa, Durio zibethinus, Gmelina arborea and Sandoricum koetjape. These species are promising components of agroforestry systems to enhance smallholder livelihoods and can grow under the low management conditions common in smallholder systems. They represent indigenous and exotic tree types that produce timber, fruit or spices within the domestication continuum. Furthering the domestication and utilization of these species requires the identification and dissemination of available germplasm sources, the dissemination of high-quality germplasm and the development of farmer-friendly propagation and tree management practices. Also, as with most smallholder systems, the marketing practices for the products of these five species require improvement, starting with the production of reliable quantities of high quality tree products.