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

- induce the expansion and dispersal of existing
small-scale forest-based enterprises so they can
serve as markets for tree farm products. This
will be successful if the enterprises are assurcd
of additio,,al raw materials from the tree farms,
of market outlets for their own outputs, and of
available credit for expansion. The woodchip
plants which serve as markets for small-scale
eucalyptus tree farms in eastern Thailand
expanded in this manner and created, in turn, a
flurry of tree planting activity in the region;
- make farmers aware that there are wood-using
firms now operating in their vicinity which
requir,: given volumes of tree products and
which pay certain price levels. The
entrepreneurial abilities of the farmers will then
be at "iatcd to make them produce goods to be
sold to this existing but previously unknown and
untapped market. The establishment of smallscale
leucaena farms to produce fodder to be
sold to a previously unknown animal feed mill in
northeastern Thailand exeniplifie dow this form
of motivation operatcs; and
- encourage the farmers and the enterprises to
enter into a ni arketing agreement that prodes
guaant guaranteed a pto prices r to tg the aremersnto farmers for thtiris their
products, and provides a steady supply of raw
materials at steady prices to the entrepreneurs.
The agreement between a large pulp andpaper
company and a group of small-scale tree farmers
in the Philippines is a good example of this
arrangement and how it stimulated the
participation of vast numbers of small-scale tree
producers.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Many extension projects are not properly
monitorel and evaluated. Most of the time, the
on-schedule execution of lanned activities is
simplistically sasfaicient vauaton of
project is procccding satisfactorily. Evaluation of
the degree to which the objectives have been
achieved is often not carried out on the 'rounds
that the impacts of extension, particularly in
forc.try, will take years before they will be
discernible and capable of being measured.
Project monitoring and evaluation (M&E),
when undertaken, is often done by an in-house
team whose objectivity is open to question, and
whose outputs are naturally the objects of some
degree of doubt. Nevertheless, such in-house
monitoring is necessary to inform project managers
about the status of the project implementation so
that corrective action, if necessary, can be taken.
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Social scientists have observed that the most
effective way of carrying out these tasks is
through participatory M & E where the target
beneficiaries play a significant role in keeping
track of implementation activities, and in
assessing their impacts upon themselves. Not
only are these results reliable, they also
stimulate the participation of farmers at all
stages of the project from planning through
implementation of the extension at the village
level.
Why Many Forestry Extension Projects
Are Not Successful
Forestry authorities are often purely
regulatory bodies that control the use of forests
and forest lands. Extension activities are
relatively new to them so their experience in this
vital undertaking is severely limited.
Furthermore, in the instances when they engage
in extension, they simultaneously carry out
police or law-enforcement activities. These two
sets of activities are mutually exclusive. When
undertaken in tandem, the extension activity
pgenerally suffers. Over and above these
contribute inherent drawbacks, to less than several successful problems extension further
accomplishments.
Inappropriate Extension Methods/Tools
Because of the widely dispersed location and
difficulty of access of the target clients to
forestry extension, project officers often resort
to the use of mass media (radio, television, and
print media) instead of face-to-face contacts.
These otherwise powerful tools become
relatively ineffective because many of the targets
do not own radios, most do not have TV sets,
and those who can read may not be willing to
pay the price of newspapers, assuming that such
papers are available in remote locations.
Furthermore, the use of these mass media
dictates dissemination of a mass of generalized
information which may not be applicable in all
cases. Agroforestry farms are notorious for
being site-specific and widely variable in
characteristics.
Incorrect Choice or Target Beneficiary
Tree growers produce different types of
products for different markets and enduses,
and use varying quantities of resources. Small
agroforestry farmers producing charcoal for
home use are very different from the corporate
tree growers using large tracts of land and