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

Agricultural research for small-scale farmers
has long been a topic of interest and debate, but
research focusing on multipurpose tree species
(MPTS) on small farms has been lacking.
Constraints to increased MPTS research for smallscale
farmers include traditions of forestry
management, lack of incentives for research
personnel and the low priority given for ielevant
research training. Recently, several institutions in
Asia Pave successfully placed an emphasis on
MP'T ; research for small farms. A synthesis of
exit.ing approaches for orienting MPTS research
to the needs of small-scale farmers is presented.
Background
Forestry conservation, research -.nd
development have had a !ong history worldwide.
Research has emphasized natural forest and
plantation management, harvesting and utilization
of forest products. Historically, the majority of the
land under forest cover in many developing
countries was owned and managed by the
government with certain rights and privileges
granted to the people to collect fuel, fodder, and a
variety of forest products. The forest service was
responsible for forest conservation and the
extraction o" vood for a variety of end uses.
However, under a growing temand for wood and
increasing population pressure, forest resources
were overexp oited, resulting in acute shortages of
forest products in recent years. Small-scale
farmers dependent on free resources were often
the most affected, leading to the concept of social
forestry. Yet research to meet the multiple wood,
foddet and other trce-related needs of small-scale
farmers has lagged far behind the need for
solutions to these problems.
Improving the productivity and utilization of
multipurpose trees wias considered a priority in
1981 at the International Union of Forestry
Research Organizations (IUFRO) World
Congress. In 1984, at the Asia-Pacific regional
workshop, organizea by IUFRO, emphasis was
placed on increasing tle production of MPTS
OrientingMultipurpose Tree Species
Research to Small Farm Needs
Narayan G. Hegde and Kennethi G. MacDicken
BAIF Development Research Foundation
Pune, India
Wmrock Intcrnational
Bangkok, ThAiland
120
plantations. Among the high priority topics
were low-cost building materials, utilization of
plantation grown timber, lesser-known timber
species, rubber tree wood, bamboo, rattan, palm
stem, wood residues, an reducing wood
residues.
In '1982 at the Forest Research Directors'
workshop at the East-West Center in Hawaii,
the five top ranked issues for the region were
silviculture, ecology, reforestation, watershed
management, hydrology and agroforestry. The
same priorities were adopted at a subsequent
workshop at the East-West Center to develop
strategies for improving the effectiveness of
'Xsia-Pacific forest research for sustainable
development (Lundgren et al. 1986).
Social scientists in several institutions have
conducted studies or forestry problems of
small-scale farmers and their expectations. For
example, research has shown acute shortages of
fodder for livestock in many parts of South Asia.
However, in India, most of these livestock have
no economic value and are allowed to roam and
graze freely but are important for cultural
reasons. In such areas, it may not be
economical to grow MPTS exclusively for
fodder.
Many of these studies cf!en fail to suggest
solutions which are technically feasible and
economically viable. Agronomic and forestry
research often focuses on crop and wood
production and is not often linked with social
science and economic research. As a result,
little research is oriented to farn,r-relevant
MPTS research problems.
It is clear that smal!-scale farmers can be
encouraged to plant MPTS, provided the trees
augment cash income. However, it is not easy
for most of these farmers to plant non-fruit trees
because of their low investment capacity, their
inability to take large risks or to wait for several
years without any interim source of income.