Forestry. Sector policy paper
Donaldson, G.
Forestry Sector policy paper: 65
1978
Document Number: 460118
Some 200 million people live within or on the margins of forests. Many of these people are dependent on shifting cultivation in forest areas for their food, fuel, and fibre needs. For them, as well as for millions of small farmers residing in the savannah zone of the tropics, tree farming, combined with agriculture, could significantly improve their quality of life and per caput incomes. Yet, historically, "agroforestry" has received very little attention. Rather, the main resource flows to forestry have been directed toward industrially oriented forest management projects. Much energy over the last two decades has gone into giving identity to the "forest sector" and to the importance of "forestry development" rather than to "forestry's contribution to development" in its widest sense, with particular reference to its impact on rural welfare. A major forest policy issue of the current decade is how to bring about a change that will result in a larger share of resources being allocated to rural afforestation programs directly benefiting small farmers. The way ahead is to establish fuelwood plantations; shelter belts; fruit, nut, and fodder trees; and rural forestry protection works, including reforestation of eroded catchment areas and sand dune stabilization. The possibility of improving total production by combining trees with agricultural crops and livestock has been widely demonstrated in many parts of the tropics. More systematic research is needed to find appropriate combinations of vegetation for different climatic zones and soil conditions, and to devise practices acceptable to the local population. An evaluation of the role and objectives of forestry in rural development which was used as a basis for allocation of World Bank loans to forestry projects. In future Bank lending, environmental forestry, rural development forestry, the establishment of forestry organizations and industrial forest projects will have higher priority than previously.