Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5, this volume). This might be more easily accomplished for high-value,
high demand products such as agarwood (Heuveling van Beek and Persoon,
Chapter 12, this volume) or cardamom (Sharma et al., Chapter 18, this volume),
both of which are cultivated in forests and smallholder systems. Unfortunately,
smallholders generally have weak market linkages and poor access to market infor-
mation (Hammett 1994; Arocena-Francisco et al. 1999; Snelder et al. 2007).
Successful strategies to orient smallholder systems with market demand at the
local, provincial, national or international levels may vary in name, structure, inten-
sity and approach. They all share the purpose to identify or quantify market demand
and focus smallholder systems to produce products that meet that market demand.
Here we discuss four such strategies: rapid market appraisals, the reforestation
value chain, the certification of smallholder wood products, and equitable corpo-
rate-smallholder partnerships. All four strategies are flexible to address the condi-
tions of target markets and local smallholder systems. Other similarities exist; a
locally evolved approach may incorporate characteristics of any of the four and
other strategies.
21.6.1
Rapid Market Appraisals
Experience demonstrates that besides weak market linkages, and perhaps because
of that limitation, smallholder farmers often: produce products of unreliable qual-
ity and quantity, that do not match market specifications; rarely engage in grading
and processing to improve product quality and value; and sell their products
opportunistically as individuals - not through groups to achieve economies of
scale (Roshetko and Yuliyanti 2002b; Roshetko et al. 2007b). These shortcomings
can be documented and addressed through market surveys conducted using rapid
survey formats (e.g., ILO 2000; Betser and Degrande 2001). Such rapid market
appraisals (RMAs) seek to identify and understand: (i) the agroforestry species
and products that hold potential for farmers (their specifications, quantities, sea-
sonality, etc.); (ii) the market channels that are used and hold commercial potential
for smallholder products; (iii) the marketing problems faced by farmers and mar-
ket agents; (iv) the opportunities to improve the quantity and quality of farmers'
agroforestry products; and (v) market integration (through vertical price correla-
tion and price transmission elasticity) and efficiency (Roshetko and Yuliyanti
2002; Roshetko et al. 2007b).
RMAs are iterative processes. They utilize relevant information gathered from
participatory approaches (both individual and group discussions) with all relevant
stakeholders (farmers, collectors, dealers, processors through to the consumer),
direct observation, detailed surveys, and secondary data sources. This iterative fea-
ture and the utilization of multiple sources allow all the information and data to be
reviewed and checked for accuracy. Once results are consistent a summary of
'farmer marketing conditions and priorities' (priority species, marketing channels
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