Abstract
Australia, like many other countries, is increasingly turning to farm forestry for its potential to address important economic, environmental and social issues at both the regional and national levels. However, despite its apparent multiple benefits, farm forestry adoption remains low, with less than 3% of all trees planted by farmers during recent years being for commercial timber production. The authors have recently completed an evaluation of the Australian government's Farm Forestry Program (FFP). That evaluation and a review of current literature are used to provide an assessment of the FFP. While the logic underpinning the program is sound, the authors identified a number of key findings from the evaluation and recommended areas for improvement. The FFP combined 26 projects to form an appropriate mix of community development and research activities and has made an important contribution to regional farm forestry. Despite important gains made by the FFP, viable regional farm forestry industries have not emerged. Whilst projects made a strong contribution to raising awareness of farm forestry, projects lacked a systematic approach to developing landholder knowledge and skills. Large numbers of demonstration sites were established with inadequate consideration given to monitoring, evaluation and dissemination of findings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AACM International Pty Ltd (1995) Cost Sharing for On-ground Works Discussion Paper, June 1995. For the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra, Australia
AACM International Pty Ltd, Centre for International Economics, and Forestry Technical Services (1996) Commercial Farm Forestry in Australia — Development of a Strategy Framework: A Resource Book. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra, Australia
ACIL Australia Pty Ltd (1984) Agroforestry in Victoria — Appraisal of Viable Systems. ACIL Australia Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (1995) Trees on Farms: Survey of Trees on Australian Farms 1993–1994. Research report 95.7. ABARE, Canberra, Australia
Australian Nature Conservation Association — Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation (1995) Socio-economic Aspects of Maintaining Native Vegetation on Agricultural Land. Workshop papers, June, 1995, Melbourne, Australia
Bartle JR (1995) A vision for the future of agroforestry. In: Proceedings of Alternative Plants for Profit Conference: Options for the Wimmera Mallee. VCAH Longerong and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Horsham, Victoria, Australia
Bird PR (1993) Benefits for grazing enterprises. In: Race D (ed) Agroforestry: Trees for Productive Farming. Department of Agriculture and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Agmedia, Melbourne, Australia
Burch D, Rickson R and Annels R (1992) The growth of agribusiness: environmental and social implications of contract farming. In: Lawrence G, Vanclay F and Furze B (eds) Agriculture, Environment and Society: Contemporary Issues for Australia. MacMillan, South Melbourne, Australia
Centre for International Economics, AACM International Pty Ltd, and Forestry Technical Services (1996) Contribution of Farm Forestry to Australia — A Quantitative Assessment. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra, Australia
Chen TT and Rossi PH (1983) Evaluating with sense: the theory-driven approach. Evaluation Review 7: 283–302
Clifton C, Miles P, Harvey W, Trebilcock B and Morris J (1993) Evaluation of tree growing strategies for reducing groundwater recharge in the hill country of northern Victoria. In: Proceedings of a National Conference Land Management for Dryland Salinity Control, pp 114–123. La Trobe University, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Commonwealth of Australia (1995) Wood and Paper Industry Strategy. Department of Industries, Science and Technology, Australia
Cook TD and Shadish WR (1986) Program evaluation: the wordly science. Annual Review of Psychology 37: 193–232
Curtis, A (1995) Landcare in Victoria: The State of Play. Report No. 24, The Johnstone Centre — Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia
Curtis, A (1996) Landcare in Victoria: A Decade of Partnerships. Report No. 50, The Johnstone Centre — Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia
Curtis A and Race D (1995) Review of Department of Primary Industries and Energy National Farm Forestry Program, 2 volume report. Johnstone Centre — Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW, Australia
Department of Primary Industries and Energy (1995a) Farm Forestry Program: Terms of Reference, Notes from Forests Branch, ACT. Unpublished document
Department of Primary Industries and Energy (1995b) Farm Forestry Program: Budget 1995–1996, Notes from Forests Branch, ACT. Unpublished document
Dunchue HL and Sinclair RL (1995) Development of Commercial Arrangements for Farm Forestry in Victoria. Wodonga, Victoria, Australia
Eckersley, P, Ellis G and George R (1993) Bluegums — A Real Option. Publication 31/93, Department of Agriculture, Perth, WA, Australia
Ferguson IS (1995) The profitability of planting trees on farms for wood production. In: Proceedings. of the ABARE Outlook Conference — Farm Forestry Session, pp 1–9, January, 1995, Australia
Haines P and Burke S (1993) Benefits of shelterbelts for farm production. In: Race D (ed) Agroforestry: Trees for Productive Farming. Department of Agriculture and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Agmedia, Melbourne, Australia
Henderson R and Leech M (1994) Timber growers cooperatives, the Tasmanian experience. In: Proceedings of the Australian Forest Growers National Conference, pp 45–51. Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Industry Commission (1993) Adding Further Value to Australia's Forest Products. Report No. 32 (15th September). Commonwealth of Australia
Inions G (1995) Lessons from farm forestry in Western Australia. In: Proceedings of the ABARE Outlook Conference — Farm Forestry Session, pp 416–422, January, 1995, Australia
Joint Agroforestry Management Committee (1991) Incentives for Tree Planting in Irrigation Areas, report of working group, Agroforestry information Paper No 1. Departments of Agriculture and Conservation and Environment, Australia
Kirby G and Waugh G (1994) Economics of Producing Solid Wood Products from Irrigated Plantations. In: Proceedings of the Australian Forest Growers National Conference, pp 207–220. Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Lawrence JH and Hardesty H (1992) Mapping the territory: agroforestry awareness among Washington State land managers. Agroforestry Systems 19: 27–36
Lawrence JH, Hardesty LH, Chapman RC and Gill SJ (1992) Agroforestry practices of non-industrial private forest landowners in Washington State. Agroforestry Systems 19: 37–55
Lyons, A (1993) Blackwood. In: Race D (ed) Agroforestry: Trees for Productive Farming. Department of Agriculture and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Agmedia, Melbourne, Australia
Mather A (1993) Introduction. In: Mather A (ed) Afforestation — Policies, Planning and Progress. Belhaven Press, London, UK
Matthews S, Pease SM, Gordon AM and Williams PA (1993) Landowner perceptions and the adoption of agroforestry practices in southern Ontario, Canada. Agroforestry Systems 21(2): 159–168
McDonald GT (1993) Reafforestation in Australia. In: Mather A (ed) Afforestation — Policies, Planning and Progress. Belhaven Press, London, UK
Munton R, Marsden T, and Ward N (1992) Uneven Agrarian development and the social relations of farm households. In: Bowler IR, Bryant CR and Nellis MD (eds) Contemporary Rural Systems in Transition —Volume 1. Agriculture and Environment. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK
Murray-Darling Basin Commission (1994) The Algal Management Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin, report by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council, Australia
Nair PKR (1993) State-of-the-art of agroforestry research and education. Agroforestry Systems 23: 95–119
National Plantations Advisory Committee (1991) Integrating Forestry and Farming: Commercial Wood Production on Cleared Agricultural Land. Report for the Department of Primary Industries and Energy, Australia
Newman RL (1994) Future implications of the national forest policy statement on private forestry in Australia. In: Proceedings of the Australian Forest Growers National Conference, pp 13–22. Launceston, Tasmania
Patton MQ (1987) How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluation. Sage, Newbury Park, CA, USA
Patton MQ (1990) Qualitative Evaluation Methods. Sage, CA, USA
Pearse PH (1994) Farm Forestry and Agricultural Adjustment: Opportunities and Policy Implications. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD Workshop on Forestry, Agriculture and the Environment, Madrid, Spain
Powell J (1995) Farm Forestry in the Murray-Darling Basin, Abstract for the Proceedings Murray-Darling Basin Commission Dryland Research Forum, October, 1995, Albury, NSW
Prinsley RT (1991) Australian Agroforestry — Setting the Scene for Future Research. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Australia
Prinsley R and Moore R (eds) (1992) The Role of Trees in Sustainable Agriculture — Recommendations of Conference Workshops. Report of a National Conference, October, 1991, Albury, NSW. Report R/1/92. Bureau of Rural Resources, Australia
Prosavac EJ and Carey RG (1992) Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies. 4th edn. Prentice Hall, NJ, USA
Raintree JB (1983) Strategies for enhancing the adoptability of agroforestry innovations. Agroforestry Systems 1: 173–187
Resource Assessment Commission (1992) Forest and Timber Inquiry: Final Report, Volume 1. Report for the Commonwealth of Australia, AGPS, Australia
Rickson R, Saffigna P, Vanclay F and McTainsh G (1987) Social bases of farmers' responses to land degradation. In: Chrisholm A and Dumsday R (eds) Land Degradation: Problems and Policies. Cambridge University Press, Sydney, Australia
Rule LC, Colletti JP, Liu TP, Jungst SE, Mize CW and Schultz RC (1994) Agroforestry and forestry-related practices in the Midwestern United States. Agroforestry Systems 27: 79–88
Ryan T (1994) World wood supply and demand trends and relevance for Australia. In: Proceedings of the Australian Forest Growers national conference, pp 23–29. Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Sands R (1990) Education in agroforestry at the University of Melbourne. Agroforestry Systems 12: 81–86
Shadish WR Jr, Cook TD and Leviton LC (1991) Foundations of Program Evaluation: Theories of Practice. Sage, Newbury Park, CA, USA
TreeCorp Pty Ltd (1993) National Tree Farming Scheme — The Role of Landholders and the Land Protection Group Report for the Warrenbayne-Boho Land Protection Group Inc, Benalla, Victoria, Australia
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Race, D., Curtis, A. Farm forestry in Australia: review of a national program. Agroforest Syst 34, 179–192 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00148161
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00148161