Director General's Introduction
::. Dr. Dennis Garrity, Director General, World Agroforestry Centre .::

“A new front should be opened on the war against hunger, inadequate shelter, and environmental degradation. This war can be fought with weapons that have been in the arsenal of rural people since time immemorial, and no radical change in their lifestyle will be required. This can best be accomplished by the creation of an internationally fi nanced council for research in agroforestry, to administer a comprehensive program leading to better land use in the tropics… Beyond question, agroforestry can greatly improve life for people in the developing world, and do so within a reasonably short time.”

With these bold words, Dr. John Bene and other far-sighted colleagues laid down a challenge to the international community two and a half decades ago. They realized that neither research in forestry nor agriculture were really addressing the huge opportunities for science to serve the rural poor in the developing world by championing the ways that working trees on tropical farms can increase food security, improve livelihoods, and help to regenerate the land and the environment.

Their pioneering challenge was taken up with thoroughness and passion. From its very modest beginnings in 1978, ICRAF has gradually evolved into a determined and dedicated force to advance the science and practice of the young and integrated field of Agroforestry. Today, as the World Agroforestry Centre crosses the threshold of a quarter-century of dynamic service, we spare a moment to reflect on the vigor and steadfastness of this pioneering group, and to recount the ups and downs of this unique journey. We look to what has been accomplished, and what has not. And we gaze ahead with gusto to the emerging imperatives that beckon in the coming years.

The creation of ICRAF was a unique opportunity to build a new field of scientific inquiry; a field with the utmost practical implications for the rural poor. In its early years, ICRAF and partners classifi ed and characterized the agroforestry systems of the tropics. And the Centre demonstrated how more than half of all the land in the tropics, particularly that which is dry, steep, and infertile is suitable to the practice of agroforestry.

As a result, ICRAF fostered agroforestry research programs in national research systems throughout the tropics. We tested a series of hypotheses that set forth the basis for the science of agroforestry. And we worked to apply the scientific principles to practical solutions. This took time. But now, many of these new solutions are being adopted by hundreds of thousands of farm families. And the opportunities for impact are dominating more and more of our current effort. We launched agroforestry education networks to advance the teaching and research in agroforesry in hundreds of universities and colleges. And we have trained thousands of scientists and practitioners to fill in the ranks of what was a thoroughly neglected domain of putting more trees to work on working land.

Farming is the basis for most developing country economies, and for the livelihood of most of the poor in the developing world. Thus, developing agriculture is key to poverty alleviation and economic growth. The Johannesburg Summit strongly propelled agriculture back on the global development agenda. We now see a renewed commitment toward agriculture by the governments of the poor countries, and in the support strategies of the wealthier donor countries. If these commitments can be fulfilled, there is hope that serious progress will be made in the coming years.

The small farm in the developing world is a diversified farm. Overcoming hunger and poverty are only possible if the small farm becomes a more productive and profitable business. Previously, ICRAF tended to focus only on the trees and their production systems. Our new frontier is to extend this to a focus on the products, processing, and marketing of tree products and services. With new analyses, and networking, we are developing robust knowledge bases on these aspects that complement our agroforestree knowledge bases.

Trees and tree crops offer enormous and varied opportunities to move from basic subsistence to smallholder farming enterprises. Increasingly, we see the science of agroforestry as a means to advance the business of smallholder agroforestry. Our work on fertilizer trees, timber trees, fruit trees, fodder trees, and medicinals, is achieving greater diversity and productivity on the smallholder farm. And it is opening up a great range of business opportunities, not only for farmers but for the wider rural economy as a whole.

We note that the exceptional promise of agroforestry is still far from being fully realized. Agroforestry is still caught in the chasm between agriculture and forestry. And the world still lacks coherent data on the aggregate importance of ‘trees outside forests’. But there is increasing global recognition of agroforestry’s role in contributing to many key problems from the local to global levels. Advances in agroforestry are recognized as contributing significantly to the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals.

We seek to live up to a motto of “Transforming Lives and Landscapes.” To do so, we realize that first we have to transform ourselves. To make adjustments in the way we work, and in how we relate to our partners, clients and investors. That has occasioned a major round of changes in our structure and culture. These are described in the following section of this report. This year’s report is the first that is organized around our new structure. It focuses on the four new themes that frame our refreshed agenda: Land and People, Trees and Markets, Environmental Services and Strengthening Institutions. We hope you will find the document thought-provoking and useful. And we look forward to your reactions and guidance on how we can further improve our agenda and impact in the coming years.

Dennis Garrity