Future Challenge: A Paradigm Shift in the Forestry Sector - Smallholder Tree Growing for Rural Development and Environmental Services - page 449

and agents, farmers' market roles, marketing problems, and opportunities) can be
finalized and shared with all relevant stakeholders. Work plans are developed to
identify and agree on actions that farmers, market agents and other stakeholders can
take to improve the production and marketing of smallholder products. Work plans
promote win-win conditions that will benefit farmers, market agents and other
involved stakeholders (Roshetko et al. 2007b).

21.6.2 The Reforestation Value Chain

As demonstrated by various examples in this volume, a common failing of
project-based tree planting initiatives is the short-sighted time frame and narrow
focus. In many instances, farmers were encouraged and assisted to plant trees
only to be frustrated by their inability to sell their tree products for a variety of
reasons (e.g. low price, lack of market, lack of processing technology). This
experience has left many farmers disillusioned by the false promise made by
project implementers (Bertomeu, Chapter 8, this volume; Tolentino, Chapter 15,
this volume). In spite of numerous failures, government agencies, donors and
their partners continue to finance short-term tree farming and reforestation
projects. An unforeseen backlash is that some farmers and communities may
refuse to cultivate trees altogether.
To remedy this, Lasco (Chapter 9, this volume) proposes the use of the reforest-
ation value chain (ReV Chain) which considers all the key stages in the tree farm-
ing process from land tenure to tree planting through marketing. In essence, the
ReV Chain strategy acknowledged and accepts that a longer time horizon is needed
for tree farming projects to succeed. This approach is best used from the project
planning stage, so that the expertise and inputs required throughout the project and
across the chain of activities can be provided. This requires the early involvement
of all relevant institutions and individuals to not only provide relevant input, but
also to help identify - and accept - their role, including contributions, responsibili-
ties and benefits.
Most successful smallholder tree farming projects in the Philippines incorpo-
rated long-term and holistic approaches that are essential elements of the ReV
Chain. For example, in the 1970s, the Paper Industries Corporation of the
Philippines (PICOP) encouraged farmers in Mindanao to plant Paraserianthes
falcataria for pulpwood (Tagundar 1984; Bertomeu, Chapter 8, this volume).
PICOP provided technical assistance to farmers and guaranteed purchase of the
wood biomass. Smallholder tree farms expanded quickly under this scheme. By
1997, there were 15,000 ha of tree farms in close proximity to PICOP's mill site and
another 29,000 ha at further distances that sold wood to PICOP (Jurvélius 1997).
In spite of some serious limitations, the PICOP tree planting partnerships with
farmers is also good example of how private sector involvement can support the
development of smallholder tree farming (Chokkalingam et al. 2006).