Module 5 - Agroforestry Systems

Private sector roles. In general, private sector entities such as nurseries and forest product manufacturers are more efficient than the public sector in supplying services such as marketing contracts and inputs. With their emphasis on profit, however, private manufacturers are likely to contract with large agroforestry producers whose economies of scale enable them to be more efficient producers. This situation presents problems for small-scale farmers who lack bargaining power and who may be less efficient producers.

Community-based agroforestry. With agroforestry activities on communal lands, the community’s collective management can provide advantages of economies of scale, minimize individual investment costs, and provide equitable distribution of benefits. One drawback of community management is that often the advantages of individual management are lost, such as more timely and responsive decision making and lower transaction costs. To be successful, community-based agroforestry must be supported by a strong institutional base and conflict resolution processes. Decentralizing control over resources and establishing institutions for farmer participation can help to facilitate community management. Community action can be a means of introducing a new resource management system, such as forest certification, which increases the value of timber products. This strategy is widespread in Mexico, where 70 percent of forests are owned by communities.

Monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation are important to support flexible program management. Mapping technologies such as geographical information systems (GIS) provide information on program impacts, including land-use changes and environmental conditions, and feedback from farmers on knowledge, attitudes, practices, and income relating to agroforestry activities, markets, and benefits is critical to refining the technologies used and the management of the program.

Recommendations for Practitioners

Agroforestry investments require flexible design and must focus on markets, adequate technical support, and attention to financial sustainability (box 5.21). Reviews repeatedly emphasize the importance of agroforestry investments being flexible and responsive to the demands of local producers. Projects should generally:

• Build capacity in NGOs, line ministries, producer organizations, and the private sector to develop or strengthen local networks for transferring information.
  
  
• Assign adequate resources for research and extension.