World Agroforestry Centre - Annual Report 2003

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	About the World Agroforestry Centre
	Director General's Introduction
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	Land and People
	Trees and Markets
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	Strengthening Institutions
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	Agroforestry in Action
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Theme: Trees and Markets

Introduction
Lead Stories
Other Highlights

Introduction

We are addressing key problems faced by tropical agroforestry products; low quality, reliance on only a few species and poor marketing.

We are conserving genetic resources and expanding tree domestication and diversifying cultivation options to better meet the needs of farmers and markets.

This year we report on the domestication of indigenous rainforest species and testing traditional temperate fruit crops to diversify farmer incomes - plus - a program that is developing more effective small scale nurseries.

The four focal areas in this theme are:

Enterprise development and enhancement of tree product marketing. Research and development in this focus fosters tree product enterprises that favour small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs, and to improve the functioning of, and information on tree product markets.
Sustainable seed systems and management of genetic resources of agroforestry trees. This work identifies implements approaches that encourage sustainable tree seed and seedling systems, and wise conservation and use of agroforestry tree genetic resources.
Tree domestication with intensification of tree cultivation systems. This focus aims to improve the productivity, management, profitability, stability and diversity of individual agroforestry tree species and tree cultivation systems.
Farmer-led development, testing and expansion of tree-based options. We will develop and facilitate wide-scale adoption of tree-based options, working with farmers and combining scientific knowledge with indigenous knowledge.

Download Document (.pdf, 206KB)

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Lead Stories

Capitalizing on natural capital
	At a glance
	The Congo basin has a wealth of natural biodiversity, but its forests are being destroyed at an alarming rate while its people suffer from widespread poverty and a host of development problems. The World Agroforestry Centre is helping to reduce poverty and slow deforestation by developing alternative sources of income from the forests. Working with local farmers, researchers are identifying the most valuable indigenous fruit tree species previously only found in the forests, then learning how to domesticate, cultivate and market them. This provides the basis for building profitable agroforests on farms, and reducing deforestation. Download Document (.pdf, 168KB)
Temperate fruits go tropical
	At a glance
	Ugandan consumers can’t seem to get enough imported temperate fruit, and certainly not at prices they can afford. The Ugandan government wishes to eradicate rural poverty by transforming subsistence farms into commercial enterprises with high-value crops. Agroforestry researchers are working to solve both problems – adding apples, peaches, pears and plums to farms in Uganda’s highlands. And their efforts are bearing fruit - literally. Download Document (.pdf, 158KB)
Nurturing nurseries
	At a glance
	Small-scale tree nurseries, many of them on tiny farms are among the fastest-growing small businesses in East Africa. Unfortunately, people in East Africa who would like to establish tree nurseries face many problems ranging from a lack of technical know-how to a lack of seeds and seedlings. The World Agroforestry Centre and its development partners pioneered in 2000 a tree nursery community project so that more of the world’s poor farming communities could reap the benefits of agroforestry. Already, hundreds of improved and new tree nurseries have begun producing thousands of agroforestry tree seedlings for a fast-growing farm market. Download Document (.pdf, 163KB)

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Other Highlights

	Milking the potential of calliandra in Kenya - homegrown fodder solves big problems on small farms To make ends meet in the Kenyan highlands, most farm families keep a dairy cow or two. Grazing is impossible on farms of 1-2 hectares and dairy feed too expensive. Milk production suffers, as does family income and health. But agroforestry researchers and farmers have found that high-protein fodder shrubs such as calliandra can solve many problems - and boost income by 10%. Contact: s.franzel@cgiar.org \| Download Document (165.pdf, KB)
	Farmers in the Peruvian Amazon consolidate to secure genetic resources – and their futures It’s a veritable catch-22. Deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon reduces biodiversity, which is needed for agroforestry development to slow that deforestation. To counter this, the Centre and smallholder collaborators have ‘captured’ genetic resources of agroforestry species such as peach palm and timber trees in 91 on-farm seed orchards. Farmer associations are consolidating into private companies to exploit the seed and timber, securing biodiversity – and eventually income. Contact: j.cornelius@cgiar.org \| Download Document (.pdf, 164KB)
	Stalks for beanstalks —propping up protein in Rwanda Jack’s beanstalk reached the sky and riches. Today, climbing beans look skywards for a different kind of wealth — yields three times more than conventional bush beans. But to realize the promise of this potential, climbing beans must be trained on stakes — a scarce and expensive commodity in Rwanda. Farmers can plant fast-growing trees and shrubs for reusable stakes. But the trees are more than bystander props. Contact: agforest@rwanda1.com \| Download Document (.pdf, 189KB)
	The right trees in the right places - protecting watersheds in southwest China Rapid commercial growth in the highlands of southwest China has seriously depleted forest resources and biodiversity. The watersheds of the Mekong and Salween Rivers are suffering. Flash floods are frequent. But the Centre’s researchers and their local partners are selecting high-value trees for potentially lucrative agro-forest mosaics that can reverse the trend. Contact: h.weyerhauser@cgiar.org \| Download Document (.pdf, 168KB)
	Chemical testing finds the best Prunus africana – in the national parks of Uganda The bark of Prunus africana cures prostate disorders but most supplies of it are destructively harvested from the wild, and the species is now threatened with extinction. Chemical testing of Ugandan provenances has found that they are superior and more diverse than in neighbouring countries, and Kibaale and Rwenzori national parks are their main refuges. Contact: j.boffa@cgiar.org \| Download Document (.pdf, 201KB)

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