Smallholder timber production in Australia – Lessons for much smaller African farms

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The Australian Master TreeGrower Rowan Reid
• Bach. Forest Science
• Masters in Agroforestry
• Senior Lecturer 20 years
(University of Melbourne)
• Farmer and Tree grower
Rowan.reid@agroforestry.net.au
Rowan Reid
The Australian Master TreeGrower www.agroforestry.net.au
www.agroforestry.net.au 2
Cleared by farmers for farming .. and most Australians benefited…
Private
farmland
http://audit.ea.gov.au/anra/people/docs/national/Final%20Audit%20Report%20Vol1.doc
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BUT - we went a little too far ….. Too far for soil and water quality ….
Too far for biodiversity ……….. Too far for stock shade and shelter …..
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Loss of Pride
Too far for comfort!
Handing this on to the next generation
Facing the future with this!
We all know trees can help
But farmers seem reluctant
Making trees ‘attractive’ to farmers Bambra Agroforestry Farm in 1988
1987
Bambra Agroforestry Farm as it was in 1987
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Rowan building the house in1990 Unique and personal solution
Plant to solve the problems Manage to create opportunities ($)
1987 1987
1993 6 yrs 16 yrs
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Black Walnut, Poplar and Chestnut in 1988. Note
Bambra Agroforestry Farm in 2004 electric fencing rings
Black Walnut, Poplar and Chestnut in 19206. Pinus radiata in 1989.
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Pinus radiata in about 2010.
Tree Management
Australian Red Cedar (left) and Californian
Coastal Redwood
BA:DBH Ratio as a thinning guide Pruning and thinning for multiple values
See: www.agroforestry.net.au (go to publications)
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Variable lift pruning (caliper) Thousands of visitors since 1988
Harvest to enhance not degrade
But can it work?
1987
15 – 20
years
6 yrs 16 yrs
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Bandsaw milling Eucalypts (age 22 years)
Chainsaw milling Grevillea
Landcare wood! Shiitake – the product (left Oak, right Eucalypt)
Table made from timber harvested from this
creek – planted 1988, harvested 2004
Eucalyptus nitens
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Agroforestry is about
Appropriate design & Elegant solutions Role of Research
Silvopastoral systems:
- Pines and Grazing
Every farm (farmer) is different
Role of Research
Science should
inform farmer
decision making
– not replace it
p
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Agroforestry Research How does all this relate to Africa?
1. What s
What’s the problem/issue
2. Underlying Processes
3. Role of trees
4. Market Specifications
5. Species, management, etc
6.
6 Multipurpose opportunities
M lti t iti
7. Economics & Risk (?)
8. Landscape & Community
change
Why do African farmers want trees? Why Australian farmers plant trees?
• Shelter/Fodder (Stock/Crops) 75%
• Land Protection 50%
• Nature Conservation 30%
• Aesthetics 10%
• Farm timber (fuel posts)
(fuel,posts) 3%
• Commercial timber 1%
ABARE ’97, ’00 AFFA ’00 and many others
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Multipurpose Grevillea/Coffee/Maize
Multipurpose Design
Design
Albizia gummifera/Coffee
Bonus Risk
Now Pride
Farmer Groups
Facilitating farmer participation What we do
• charge membership
• provide education/skills
• undertake site visits
• provide peer mentors
• facilitate market links
• build information networks
• lobby government/industry
• seek funds to pay for it all
SEE: www.oan.org.au
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We talk about trees African farmers also talk
and our landscapes and communities
1994
African farmer groups do the same
• charge membership
• provide education/skills But t
B t trees take
t k
• undertake site visits time to deliver
• provide peer mentors rewards
• facilitate market links
• build information networks
• lobby government/industry
• seek funds to pay for it all
1999
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Trees take time to deliver rewards Time does not weary
a forest worth owning
Time does not weary
The Australian Master TreeGrower
a forest worth owning
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The Australian Master TreeGrower Like teaching someone to paint
95 Courses
>2000 Participants
SEE: www.agroforestry.net.au
Part One (1 day) Talk about the problems &
Mastering trees on farms opportunities
• Farmer interests
• Stakeholder
interests
•PPersonal
l
multipurpose
landscapes
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Part Two (3 days): Trees for Markets
conservation & profit Products and Services
Market Specifications The Master TreeGrower Tape
Harvesting, Trading and Prices
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Master TreeGrower Tape Management: the secrets of silviculture
Management: the secrets of silviculture Part Three (3 days)
Fitting veg. into farming landscapes
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Economics: Balancing short and
long term rewards and risk
On farm
discussions
about
possibilities
&
opportunities
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Part four (1 day)
Building long term networks Impact on their own land
Impact on what other farmers do Farmer to farmer communication
• Interpretation
• Validation
• Adaptation
• Evaluation
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Facilitating Farmer to farmer Peer Group Mentor Program
communication
“Intellectual
Infrastructure”
Train Peer Group Mentors What Peer Group Mentors do
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What Peer Group Mentors do What Peer Group Mentors do
Not “Top Down” extension More of a “participatory approach”
CMA. Gov t Agencies.
CMA Gov’t Agencies Researchers. Groups.
Researchers Industry Groups
Agency
Mentors
staff/research
“Experts”
Farmers/landholders
Landholders
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We become ‘Super mentors’ Impact on the rural landscape
Landholder Issues
Mentors and Extension Agents
Researchers/Agency/Industry
Trees don’t change landscapes – People do
Thank You
?
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