The operational effectiveness of the forest nursery sector in Leyte, The Philippines

Current programs and policies on forest management in the Philippines are biased towards the promotion of small-scale forestry. However, the scaling-up of smallholder forestry is hampered by the limited availability of planting materials and the low quality of planting stock. A study of the operational effectiveness of the forest nursery sector in the province of Leyte reveals that the operation of the nursery industry is not well-organized. The support provided by assisting agencies failed to promote the sustainability of smallholder nurseries. While a decentralized nursery management is widely perceived as the best alternative for reaching smallholders with planting stock, transferring the seedling production to smallholder nurseries needs strong collaboration with and support from the government nursery group. It is imperative for the government nursery group to refine its production objectives, operation schemes, types of assistance extended to smallholders and the means of extending the support to make it attuned to the needs and constraints of the smallholder nursery group