multipurpose tree species research for small farms: strategies ... - part

The establishment and continued growth of the
Multipurpose Tree Species (MPTS) Research
Network has periodically brought scientists
together to encourage research and information
exchange on topics of importance to Asia and the
rest of the world.
Address by Thomas Niblock
Winrock International
Theme conferences such as this have provided the
opportunity for scientists to focus on specific
issues of MPTS research and thereby strengthen
professional ties while deve!oping regional
approaches to specific research problems.
In a special sense, this particular conference
represents a culmination of the Network's efforts
to promote greater awareness among scientists
about small-scale farmers -- the clients of their
research. Directing MPTS research toward the
needs of these farmers is essential for the future.
If, in their enthusiasm for research and intellectual
challenge, scientists lose sight of the recipients of
their work, they have failed in their mission. Steps
leading up to this important conference have
included:
- developing a regional social science study of
existing tree planting methods practiced by
small-scale farmers in Asia;
- conducting a related multidisciplinary study to
identify farmers' preferences for tree
characteristics to establish guidelines for tree
improvement programs;
- exploring alternative methods for on-farm
research; and
- conducting economic and marketing research.
Plans for economic analyses of existing Network
trials were made in early 1989, and a training
course has been designed to familiarize foresters
with strategies and research methods for marketing
tree products from small farms.
Both the Network's Steering and Research
Committees have stressed the need for making
research responsive to farmers' needs. At their last
w.zeting in July at Los Banos, Philippines, the
Research Committee recommended that the
second five-year phase of the Forestry/Fuelwood
Research and Development (F/FRED) Project
include regional studies to examine the demand
side of MPTS, the effects of introduced species on
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the rural poor, new markets for MPTS products,
and new MPTS-based industries. It was
emphasized that generating additional income
with MPTS is sometimes more important to
farmers than growing them to meet their basic
household needs.
This conference moves the Network one step
closer to raising the standard of living of the
rural poor by helping scientists understand the
end uses andmarkets for MPTS products from
small farms, production and supply
relationships, extension and training techniques
that can bridge gaps between research results
and their implementation on-farm, and
directing research to the problems and issues of
small-scale farmers.
This conference represents a milestone of
efforts to bring scientists together to share
research findings, and more importantly, poses
a new challenge for them to use the benefits of
their collaborative research to understand and
address the needs of their clients -- the
small-scale farmers.