The Potential Role of Nurseries in Improving Access to High Quality Planting Stock and Promoting Appropriate Silvicultural Systems to Improve the Productivity of Smallholder Tree Farms in Leyte, the Philippines

Constraints on availability of high-quality planting stock, improper matching of the species to the planting site and low level of silviculture hamper the success of smallholder tree plantings in Leyte. In spite of the available technologies in nursery and plantation management, smallholders still lack the necessary technical skills. This suggests that insufficient efforts are exerted by concerned agencies in extending the knowledge to the level of smallholders and it is indeed imperative to design means by which this pool of information can be disseminated. Inasmuch as most tree planting activities involve the establishment of nurseries, use of the nursery sector as a focal point of extension warrants investigation. Potential intervention measures including establishment of model smallholder nurseries to showcase the nursery cultural practices, creating a farmer-based seed distribution network to facilitate the distribution of germplasm and widen the species base, and accrediting the nurseries to improve sales, are suggested. These measures are designed to solve the previously identified problems ultimately promoting a wider adoption of smallholder forestry in the province and eventually in other regions of the country