How will SEANAFE carry out its work in 2005 and beyond? This was a main question for the SEANAFE Board during 2004. The work culminated in a change of SEANAFE’s strategy: in future the network will focus on regional projects, rather than ‘networking’ per se. In other words, SEANAFE will use its network infrastructure to address a variety of important regional issues.

Accordingly, SEANAFE plans to organize its next generation of activities around a series of well-defined regional projects to be conducted over the course of the next four years. The Board has designed three such projects:

Project 1. Marketing of agroforestry tree products

Project 2. Landscape agroforestry

Project 3. Forestry and environmental policies

Each project will operate for 18 to 24 months. The project cycle will include:

1. A regional training workshop to update lecturers on the most recent agroforestry research results, tools and methods
2. National case studies to be carried out in five countries to enable the testing of methods and tools and to provide content for the development of teaching materials.
3. A second regional workshop will be held to compare experiences and prepare regional teaching materials and curriculum modules (all materials will be modular and made available in a range of formats including on-line and conventional);
4. Regional materials and curricula will be adapted and translated in the local languages;
5. National training courses will be organized to launch newly developed learning materials and to train lecturers; and
6. Policy makers will be informed of results

A second major change is to increase SEANAFE’s collaboration and partnership and to expand geographically, as recommended by Sida’s evaluation of SEANAFE in 2004 In particular, SEANAFE will seek closer partnership with the Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC) and will develop links with universities in China and Malaysia and other ASEAN countries. Read more about Sida’s evaluation of SEANAFE…

Tools and methods for agroforestry teaching were developed: A Vietnamese version of ‘A Guide to Learning Agroforestry’ was published. The University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue organized a workshop on 29-30 December 2003, to improve the teaching methodologies for the agroforestry subject at BSc level in Vietnam.

Thesis research was supported: 18 BSc students (including 4 female) from five different universities received grants for research in agroforestry-related topics.

The links between education and extension was strengthened: one training course for local farmers and extensionists was organized by Lamdong Extension Centre (33 participants including 9 female); and a curriculum module for agroforestry training for the ‘grassroots’ level was prepared.

Collaboration among universities on agroforestry research was strengthened: A large national agroforestry research seminar, ‘Dimensions of Agroforestry for Future Communities’, was organized at Naresuan University on 1-3 July, 2004, attracting 107 participants including one Member of Parliament. In a second step, the universities drafted joint research project ideas at a ‘Workshop on participatory research network’ on Dec. 9, 2004 at Kasetsart University. The intention is to submit research proposals to national foundations during 2005.

A Thai translation of ‘ A guide to Learning Agroforestry was published in 400 copies and distributed widely. A national workshop on ‘Guidelines for teaching agroforestry at tertiary level’ was held on January 22-24, 2004, at Prince of Songkhla University, where 40 participants attended.

The General Meeting of ThaiNAFE was held on December 9, 2004 at Kasetsart University, where new Chair and Vice Chair were elected for the 2-year period 2005 – 2006. The new office holders are:

Dr Dr.Boonserm Chevaisarakul, Chaingmai University. Chair

Dr.Dusit Wechakij from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Vice Chair

Because of it’s size, PAFERN decided to go ‘zonal’ and recently established sub-networks for the three main zones in the Philippines: Mindanao, Luzon and Visayas. A series of national and ‘zonal’ agroforestry forums were arranged, some of which were co-funded from other sources. 120 persons attended the first National Agroforestry Congress in the Philippines, held on 19-21 Nov 2003, in Leyte. Two zonal meetings were held, in Luzon and Mindanao, respectively. The 1^st Mindanao Agroforestry Congress was held on November 17-19, 2004.

Two training courses on agroforestry research design and management were held, in Los Banos, Laguna and in Claveria, Mindanao. In total, 38 participants attended, out of which 26% were female. PAFERN also supported 5 female undergraduate students’ thesis research, of which 4 were completed in 2004; the 5^th is expected to be submitted early 2005.

The links between education and extension were strengthened: Four colleges/universities carried out research and extension projects in a 3-way partnership among local municipal government, farmer groups and academia. This disseminated agroforestry innovations in communities, and provided field experience to staff and students.

Policy advocacy is a key activity in the Philippines: PAFERN collaborates with the national Taskforce on Agroforestry Education (TFAP) to lobby support for the ‘professionalization’ of agroforestry in the Philippines. Two bills were been drafted and circulated among the policy-making bodies (i.e. House of Representatives, and Senate of the Philippines). These include the Senate Bill on the 10-Year Higher Education Agroforestation Development, and the House Bill on the Creation of the Agroforestry Board.

Materials and information: A ‘Lecture Syllabus for agroforestry’ and a technology manual in Agroforestry (in Filipino), entitled, Manwal sa Pagsasagawa ng Agroforestry were reproduced and distributed to PAFERN’s 31 member institutions. This manual presents the step-by-step procedures in establishing agroforestry farms and relevant agroforestry technologies, as well. The Agroforestry Monitor, a quarterly publication of the Institute of Agroforestry, included a section on ‘PAFERN Updates’.

The translation of teaching materials continued in 2003/4, and the following materials were produced in the Lao language: Agroforestry on acid soils in the humid tropics; ICRAF slide series No 1-5; Agroforestry teaching manuals for BSc and Mid Level Certificate levels; and the Lao version of ‘A Guide to Learning Agroforestry’.

Furthermore, LaoNAFE translated and adopted a series of lecture notes on Alternatives to Slash-and Burn’ (ASB). The five lecture notes cover: 1) Land use changes, 2) Carbon stock, 3) Biodiversity, 4) Watershed functions and 5) Land use options. They are available in hard copy and on a CD.

The need for improving teaching and research methods was also addressed. A workshop on agroforestry teaching methods and guide for students’ was held at Faculty of Forestry, NUOL during 29 September – 3 October, 2004. There were 24 participants from all member institutions. Seventeen participants attended a training course on agroforestry research methods, held in Luang Prabang province on Jan 5-7, 2004.

The National Agroforestry Education Committee (NAFEC) met once in 2003 and once in 2004. Coordination of LaoNAFE was done by the Faculty of Forestry, National University of Laos.

For this reason, INAFE focused on strengthen capacity among new member institutions in two parts of Indonesia: Sulawesi and Eastern Indonesia.

• Tadulaku university organized a training course for agroforestry and agribusiness, lecturers, government institutions and NGOs in Central Sulawesi. 30 persons attended.
• In Yogyakarta, Central Java, University Gadjah Mada held a workshop targeting trainers and extension agents of the ministries of agriculture and forestry, with 61 participants.
• In Eastern Indonesia, the network was strengthened through a 4-day workshop at Mataram University, Lombok. A plan of action was agreed upon.

Agroforestry ‘field laboratories’ to facilitate practical education were established by two universities: Bogor Agriculture University and University Lambung Mangkurat.

To improve access to research results, INAFE compiled ‘Abstracts on agroforestry in Indonesia’ which was published as a book, a CD and on Internet. A poster for agroforestry promotion was produced in 1000 copies.

The Sida evaluation team consisted of Mr Bo Tengnäs, team leader, from Sweden, Mr Tara Bhattarai from Nepal and Dr Upik Rosalina from Indonesia, who between them have over 30 years of experience of tropical forestry and agroforestry. During four weeks in June and July 2004, the team visited universities and met lecturers and students in all five countries where SEANAFE works. They also spoke with representatives from the Swedish embassy and SEANAFE’s main partners, such at the Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC) and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In addition, a separate study was conducted to assess interest and options for collaboration in Southern China.

The evaluation process was intensive, but resulted in a detailed report that Sida will publish as part of the project cycle. Here we share some of the evaluation’s main conclusions and recommendations.

Conclusions

Reassuringly, the main finding was that SEANAFE has made good overall progress. Institutionalization of agroforestry training calls for a long-term commitment from all concerned parties. The evaluators found that SEANAFE is still essential to support networking while national partners are in the process of consolidating their roles and improving their organizations.

Support is needed, for example, to:

• Expand and accelerate agroforestry advocacy.
• Increase regional opportunities to meet and share knowledge and experience.
• Promote dissemination of educational materials, in both electronic and printed forms.
• Assist the exchange of lecturers within Southeast Asia, and perhaps with South Asia and Africa.
• Assist the development of new curricula on people-centred natural resource management, including policy aspects.
• Encourage South-South and West-East comparative studies to promote development.

The evaluation team further observed that perceptions of what agroforestry is differs considerably between the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the institutions in the network. ICRAF’s view is to study agroforestry at the scale of the landscape or watershed; plot-level agroforestry technologies are only part of that broader view.

Decentralization of SEANAFE led to an increased portfolio, but has created new challenges, particularly regarding quality control and long-term financial sustainability of a larger network.

The regional level of SEANAFE needs to assist national networks with ideas and to inject new knowledge. Production of educational materials was highlighted as a particular priority.

Recommendations

Meet the need for solid educational materials on agroforestry: The team recommends that, at the regional level, SEANAFE should build capacity to assist in the production of educational material. There is a discrepancy in opinion on what agroforestry as a subject actually covers, both by individuals and institutions and between participating countries. Many existing agroforestry practices used by farmers are still not incorporated in teaching and teaching materials, at least in some institutions.

Create better linkages to extension systems as well as other development projects: SEANAFE has actively promoted links between educational institutions and research. But links between educational institutions and various extension systems appear to remain weak or are non-existent.

Include new topics that may not be well addressed in education so far: There is rapid development of both concepts, practices and knowledge in such areas as tenure, biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, carbon sequestration, equity between upland and lowland populations, "pay for environmental services" schemes, international conventions, direct or indirect aspects of illegal logging, markets and marketing, poverty, gender and many others. Several of these issues could be addressed under the scope of agroforestry, within ICRAF’s current programme in Southeast Asia

Adopt a more proactive role for SEANAFE at the regional level: SEANAFE’s regional functions may include to:

• Act as a clearing house for the compilation and dissemination of information on science and technology in agroforestry and related aspects of people-centered natural resource management.
• Be proactive in lobbying parliaments and governments in member countries on the contribution of agroforestry to natural resource and environmental management.
• Provide funds for activities in member countries that promote agroforestry concepts, such as training-course development and review, establishment of demonstrations or the production and dissemination of educational materials.
• Hire expertise in agroforestry in the form of senior fellows who could share their experience with local counterparts.

Collaborate with the Regional Community Forestry Training Centre: RECOFTC has strategic ambitions to collaborate more closely with selected universities. Synergies could be achieved and overlaps avoided if there is a good sharing of responsibilities between SEANAFE and RECOFTC.

Invite Chinese participation in SEANAFE: The scope for Chinese participation was examined through the separate study linked to this evaluation. The outcome was positive, and the evaluation team suggests ICRAF to invite Chinese participation, primarily through SEANAFE.

Future scenario

The evaluation team think another seven to eight years of support is justified to ensure the network delivers what is intended. Brief external reviews are recommended every two or three years so that corrective measures can be applied when needed.