Understanding Forest Transition in the Philippines: Main Farm-Level Factors Influencing Smallholder’s Capacity and Intention to Plant Native Timber Trees

Background

Small-scale farmers' decisions on when, where, and how to plant trees in their use of natural, human, and capital resources is critical to understand as part of any forest transition trajectory. This paper studies these questions in the Philippines.  

Goals & Methods

Using the results of a household survey of 148 respondents from Leyte Province in Central Philippines, this paper presents results from a logistic regression analysis of social factors influencing smallholder farmer's decision to plant native timber trees. The categories of variables tested include site characteristics, cultural factors, household land resources, labor constraints and household economic status.

Conclusions & Takeaways

The amount of land resources controlled by the household and land ownership security are the main factors affecting farmer's decisions to plant native trees. Areas with public access to forest negatively affect the decision to plant native trees, due to the availability of timber. Lastly, access to market infrastructure such as roads also increases the likelihood that farmers will plant trees. Based on the results of the study, the authors conclude that reforestation programs should target areas which are deforested or degraded, and have secure land tenure. Improving access to markets via transportation and roads will also encourage native tree planting for timber.