Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
unstable forest policy. There is a need to evaluate which of the numerous indige-
nous species in tropical countries should be prioritized for research and develop-
ment. Preliminary works for the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and
Southeast Asia in general have been completed (Roshetko and Evans 1999;
Gunasena and Roshetko 2000).
Fourth, the Philippine government should remove policy restrictions curtailing the
use of planted trees and provide incentives appropriate to smallholder farmers
(Bertomeu, Chapter 8, this volume; Masipiqueña et al., Chapter 7, this volume;
Chokkalingam et al. 2006). The Philippine government has been slow in acknowledg-
ing the importance of timber production by smallholder farmers. Existing policy dis-
incentives constrain the establishment of tree farms and the use of trees by the wood
processing industry. These include permits and regulations governing cutting and
transport of farm-grown trees. Current policies favor big commercial tree farms and
utilize terminology relevant to natural forests - although harvesting in natural forests
is now widely banned. Efforts must be made to simplify policies and provide other
incentives for smallholder farms. At the same time, farm forestry extension programs
should invest in training programs aiming at improving management and marketing.
21.10 Conclusion
The papers in this volume demonstrate that smallholder tree-based (agroforestry) sys-
tems play significant roles in the livelihoods of local communities, yield both wood
and non-wood products for commercial markets, and provide environmental services
for the public good. The importance of smallholder systems will continue to increase
as the global forest resource shrinks further and human populations expand. Yet, small-
holder systems are ignored in formal definitions, statistics, and legal/institutional
frameworks. The messages of this chapter and the entire volume are that there is a clear
need for a paradigm shift in the forestry, development, and extension sector to:
1. Recognize the contribution and importance of smallholder agroforestry systems
as part of
the solution to achieve sustainable forest management and production
objectives
2. Adopt more holistic and sustainable strategies to support and strengthen the
market orientation of smallholder agroforestry systems
3. Provide technical support to smallholder farmers that enable them to improve
their success, productivity, and profitability of their agroforestry systems
4. Develop supportive institutions (rules and organizations) together with a funda-
mental policy rectification which would lay a basis for sustainable and equitable
regional tree product markets
5. Implement enabling conditions that support the success of smallholder agrofor-
estry systems and their potential to provide environmental services
An additional overarching message is that natural forests, forest and tree planta-
tions, sustainable management, and smallholder agroforestry systems all have a
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