Ravua Agroforestry Rural Liveliohood Report FINAL DRAFT2

logo

Ravua Pastoral Organization ua v

Silvo-Pastoral Co-Management Rural Empowerment and Alternative Livelihood through Agroforestry

1

It is the objective of this OUTLINE to inform on the outcome of a 12 month pilot project of animal husbandry with high value tropic timber. The objective of the pilot project is to aid in the creation of short term revenue generation for a farming family unit with long term revenue potential. This revenue would well be able to offset part, or all, of the costs associated day to day requirements of a rural family in Fiji.

OUTLINE Commissioned for Ravua Pastoral Company Limited Author: Paul R Evers P.O Box 3178 Lami, Suva, Fiji Islands

December 2010 Disclaimer notice All text in this document, with the exception of content indicated to be retained from ‘’other sources’’, is solely to be used at the discretion of Ravua Pastoral Company and Future Forests Fiji. All rights are reserved.

2

Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Agro-Forestry Overview (Silvo-Pastoral) .......................................................................................... 9 Strategic segments ......................................................................................................................... 10 Business model ........................................................................................................................... 10 Production yields ........................................................................................................................ 10 Mortality, Theft and Disease .................................................................................................. 11 Physical Infrastructure................................................................................................................ 12 Fencing ................................................................................................................................... 12 Gates....................................................................................................................................... 12 Shedding ................................................................................................................................. 13 Animal Management area ...................................................................................................... 13 Electronics .............................................................................................................................. 13 Interactions between Animals and Trees ................................................................................... 14 Reduction in Forestry inputs .................................................................................................. 15 Soil Impacts............................................................................................................................. 16 Financial Projections...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Potential for additional short term revenues............................ Error! Bookmark not defined. Via Organic Growth ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Through Alternate livelihood Small Scale Applications .......................................................... 17 Other financial considerations .................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Summary......................................................................................................................................... 18 Agro-forestry Constraint and Benefits ....................................................................................... 18 Constraints.............................................................................................................................. 18 Benefits ................................................................................................................................... 18 References ...................................................................................................................................... 19

Please note: the following terms are interchangeable: Silvo-Pastoral and Agro-Forestry, yet for the purposes of this Report Silvo-Pastoral is more precise.

3

Introduction In December of 2009, Ravua Pastoral Organization (PRO) was incorporated with the sole aim of constructing a pilot project to test an Agro-Forestry model within the RA province of Fiji At the end of December 2009, the first supply of sheep were delivered, of which 50 were females (ewes) and one a male (ram). These animals were sourced from the Fiji Department of Primary Industries, more specifically from the Naiwacoba Agricultural Station located twenty minutes from Nadi. Additional of 67 mature ewes, 18 lambs and 5 rams were purchased from a private breeder in Barotu village, located in the province of Ra, as additional breeding stock. No further sheep were introduced to the project until September 2010 when 50 ewes were purchased from Dept of Agriculture Beteri Station in Vanua Levu. The late inclusion of additional animals was due to the significantly short supply capabilities of the current national breeding flock. The sheep breed is unique to Fiji and has taken approximately twenty years to develop. However, the stability of the breed appears to be questionable, as the two main sheep species that were interbred, occasionally appear to present their unique characteristics in the offspring of the Fijian breed. In other words it appears that the breed known as ‘Fiji Fantastic‘ is unzipping. The project area was designated as the four primary farming units in the Tova valley zone The tree species in the forests is solely Tectona Grandis (Teak) and the trees have been planted on a grid spacing 3 meters by 3 meters. The oldest trees within this area are four years of age and attaining heights of ten meters. The project objective is to supply information on the following;  Business model  Production yields o Mortality, theft and disease  Physical infrastructure; fencing, gates, shedding, animal management area, electronics  Interactions between animals and trees o Reduction in forestry inputs o Soil impacts  Financial Projections o Potential for additional short term revenue o Via organic growth o Through alternate livelihood small scale application o Socio Economic impacts  Agro-forestry constraints and benefits This outline will answer all of the above and will propose a substantiated outcome for the project. Regardless that the project has another four year, within the agreement between the parties, it is thought sufficient for a twelve month review and conclusion. Naturally the ongoing impacts of grazing in forested areas in relation to tree growth will continue and over many years.

4

Various factors influence the expansion of the private sector into investments of timber plantations globally. These factors range from diminishing supply of old growth forests, to significantly attractive returns over the long term. However, whilst the interest and investment in plantation forestry has increased, also has the evidence of unscrupulous investment schemes. Such schemes have had a negative effect on the plantation sector. Much of the unethical activities within the forestry sector have proposed unrealistic returns to small private investors and also, recently, larger institutional investors. The unsupported financial returns on investment have developed due to the desire to balance the lack of short term returns with the long term nature of the timber sector. The modeling outlined within this report may be applied to large scale timber plantation, and also more significantly to small holder farms. The smaller farm units in developing nations, predominantly farm to achieve an income level above subsistence, however, they rarely achieve such results. Therefore, the combination of animal husbandry with high value tropical timber creates a unique opportunity for the small-holder to satisfy the day to day needs of the farming unit, whilst at the same time developing a timber asset that over time will ensure the financial future of the farming family unit. We will expand on this later in the report. It has been established that within the project area the majority of the farmers rely heavily and the production of sugar cane as the primary source of income. However the current diminishing trends, obtained from this farm commodity, has resulted in farmers being pushed further into poverty. The average return for a 10 acre farm (after costs) is estimated to be within the range of $700 and $800 per annum. Therefore, with the average farming unit (family) being four (two adults and two children) the sugar industry is not sustaining such farms

5

The project therefore was constructed specifically to address the needs of small scale farmers. Their requirements are in desperate need of a better farming model in order to create sustainable income and future growth. Each farmer selected for the trial was delivered either30, 40 or 75 sheep (depending on land area and infrastructure). This initial sheep flock remains the property of the governing organization being Ravua Pastoral. The farmer was first trained in all aspects of animal husbandry and economics. Further a veterinary professional was sourced from Australia to deliver a deeper knowledge base for each farmer. Each farmer is responsible for the good health of the sheep arising from sufficient feed, medicines and management in illness and birth. Each farmer would report directly to the organization and further training would ensue where considered appropriate. After ‘lambing’ the organization and farmers would meet at a stage when the young lambs were old enough to be weaned off the mothers. These young sheep would then be considered old enough to be production units in their own right. The organization and the farmer would then distribute the offspring on a 50/50 basis. That is to say the organization would receive 50% of the offspring and the farmer would retain 50% as their own. The farmer would then be able to sell the sheep they retained or continue to breed their flocks to greater numbers. The organization on the other hand would receive its 50% and then relocate them to another farmer and commence the process again Naturally the organization would select only breeding ewes for the next farm unit thereby allowing the farmer to sell any unwanted rams into the markets. It is envisaged the each ewe will produce 1.4 lambs in any 12 months period. Yet in some circumstances these ewes can also deliver 3 lambs each. As a result it is projected that each farming unit will be able to produce enough offspring to stock another farm each in a twelve month period. This would result in a doubling of farm number in each twelve months. The projected growth of the enterprise would be best displayed in the graph below

700 600 500 400

Farming Units

300

Years

200 100 0 1

2

3

4

5

6

6

7

8

Based on the estimate of four (4) persons per household in the target area this then would equate to the impact on 400 people by year five (5) and two thousand five hundred and sixty (2560), in year nine (9) Impacts on family incomes are dramatic. From a raw base of $700 per annum derived from the production of sugar cane to the revenue received from sheep sales the potential for significant increase in farming unit income is displayed in graph two below $12,000.00 $10,000.00 $8,000.00 Income development

$6,000.00

Years $4,000.00 $2,000.00 $1

2

3

4

7

Facts considered  It has been reported that within the United States of America as much as 25% of all forests have some form of animal grazing associated with them.  Reports from the U.S. state that via the implementation of Agro-Forestry practices the IRR of return for timber plantation projects may be increased from 8% to 13% per annum.  The Republic of Fiji imported approximately $66,000,000 of mutton in 2009.  Less than 6% of a 10,000 acre forest needs to be allocated to Agro-forestry.  Within the Agro-Forestry area, the inputs into the management of the trees will be significantly reduced.  Additional benefits will be created due to unexpected outputs such as composted material for the vegetable gardens etc.  Fiji imported approximately 11,000 tons of sheep product in 2009. This is equivalent to 275,000 sheep at an average weight of 40 kilograms per animal.  Australia has a ratio of 1 sheep to every 3.5 people and New Zealand has 12 sheep to every one person. Fiji has 1 sheep to every 66 people.  Sheep and lamb products are culturally acceptable to all cultural and religious sectors of Fiji.  Recent findings indicate that sheep grazing under the forest canopy may be able to reduce the vegetation competing with the timber asset by as much as 90%.  Additional findings by Koronivia Research Station are also indicating improvement of soil structure and increases in the major nutrient groups such as nitrogen, carbon, calcium etc.  An Agro-Forestry model significantly reduces the risk of fire within forests.  The proposed farm size for this review is 10 acres.

8

Agro-Forestry Overview (Silvo-Pastoral) Forestry and livestock grazing are common competing uses for non-irrigated lands around the world. Forest grazing is a traditional practice in most of North America. Approximately 25 percent of all US forest land is grazed by livestock. Young forests and mature open-canopied forests can provide considerable amounts of forage for livestock. Prescription grazing makes beneficial use of ground vegetation that would otherwise compete with trees for soil moisture and nutrients, harbor gnawing rodents, and pose a fire hazard. Pasture grasses and legumes are sometimes seeded into newly harvested forest areas to reduce erosion, to provide high-quality food for deer and elk, and to decrease establishment of unwanted trees and brush. Such seedlings provide a forage base, which may not persist without livestock grazing. Older, closed canopy stands of trees are frequently thinned to increase tree and forage growth. Pastures may contain a few scattered large trees or small groves of trees that were left when the land was cleared. Together, these traditional practices form a base of experience from which current, more intensely managed, silvo-pastoral systems have evolved. Agro-forests are planned and managed agro-ecosystems. Agro-forestry differs from traditional forestry and agriculture by its focus on the interactions among components rather than on the individual component themselves. Success of agro-forestry is, therefore, largely determined by the extent to which individual forest and agricultural components can be integrated to help rather than hinder each other. Each component is judged by its capacity to produce desired products, and its ability to assist other components. For instance, trees can produce saleable wood fibre, forage for livestock, and fruits or nuts, while increasing pasture and livestock production by breaking the wind and providing shade. Pasture plants provide forage for livestock and serve as a living mulch to help suppress weeds and to reduce soil erosion. Livestock provide income, consume weeds, and are a major tool by which grass/legume, and tree/forage competition is controlled. Grazing may also reduce fertilizer needs by increasing the effectiveness of soil nutrients through recycling (in dung and urine) of elements such as nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and sulphur which are stored in pasture forage. Just as a well-designed system is better than the sum of its individual parts, the combined tree plus forage productivity of silvo-pastures may substantially exceed that of pastures or forests grown alone. For example, one acre of grass-legume/Douglas-fir silvo-pasture in Western Oregon has been observed to produce as much forage and timber as 1.6 acres of similar forest and pasture grown alone. The World Agro-Forestry Centre, based in Nairobi, Kenya, is a “global advocate of integrated farming systems with special emphasis to generate science-based knowledge about the diverse roles that trees play in agricultural landscapes and to use our research to advance policies and practices that benefit the poor and the environment.” This organisation is one of many that are promoting a more efficient use of land and the positive impacts such systems have on the product supply chain from farmer to market.

9

Strategic segments There are five main segments to consider when establishing an agro-forestry enterprise; the business model, production yields, physical infrastructure, interaction between animal and tree and the financial projections.

Business model As all properly managed projects require, a business model was developed prior to commencement of the RPO project, that sought to address the essential inputs such as capital and the potential investment returns. The business model can be summarized in the following statement; “The creation of a animal production unit, specifically designed for sheep, that would be integrated into a pre-existing farming operation, where additional revenues could be realized via the sale of animals being produced as well as long term gains associated with timber assets” For the RPO project, the machinery requirements as well as infrastructure requirements were collated and costed. In addition to the set-up costs of the project, an initial animal stock needed to be sourced and financed. To date, the project has required $120,000 of capital requirement with a further $90,000 in management costs. Therefore the current investment is estimated to be $210,000. This amount does not value the project at anything other than basic cost. The value of the ongoing revenues, goodwill and intellectual property also need to be priced, however for this report this is not considered relevant. The key to understanding an agricultural unit or farm in regards to its establishment are three major capital expenditures. They are; 1. The land upon which the farm will be located – for this project provided by the farmer. 2. The initial animal stock, whether full capacity or staged over time – the production yields. 3. The fencing, gates and shedding – the physical infrastructure.

Production yields Research of breeding reports and management systems globally, and in particular Australia, America and New Zealand, for sheep farms indicate a reproduction rate ranging between 1.5 to 2 offspring per ewe, per breeding cycle. The optimal breeding programs for the ‘Fiji Fantastic’ breed also indicate that it is possible to achieve 3 breeding cycles in a 24 month period. In relation to the RPO project, a production rate per ewe is set at the lower range of 1.5, and two breeding cycles over the 24 month period. For every 40 ewes it is recommended that one ram be included in the stocking numbers. Therefore the number of rams is set at five to seven allowing for a slight over supply of ewes to rams. The optimal carrying capacity of sheep on the current farm lands of 10 acres, is estimated to be 50 breeding ewes. However, with improved pasture development the carrying capacity may be increased to 80 breeding ewes.

10

Based on the basic purchase cost of a 40kg ewe at $6.50 per kilo, the initial capitalization may therefore be estimated at $13,000 (50 ewes) These graphs include a 10% mortality rate and include the sales of all surplus male animals. The revenue from the sale of male animals is displayed in the financial section of this report. Once optimal stocking rate of the farm is attained then any production (disregarding sex) is sold into the market. When compared with the importation of 11,000 tons of sheep meat to Fiji in 2009 (Fiji Bureau of the output of the farm would replace .03% of the national imports. Therefore 100 farms would replace 3% of the national requirement Statistics),

Naturally the management of any enterprise may not wish to retain suggested targets and may wish to reduce the outputs to suit other requirements.

Mortality, Theft and Disease The various random affects of any agricultural enterprise is the advent of disease, theft and dog attack . It is necessary to put in place systems and infrastructure that limit or significantly reduce such events. Within the RPO modeling the mortality factor has been estimated at 10% of the entire production cycle. Therefore, should 300 animals be deemed appropriate for the commencement of the agro-forestry project it is expected that at least 30 animals die. During the project period of twelve months RPO has experienced seven deaths of sheep;  3 deaths due to nutritional factors (bloat, water belly, whites disease, navel ill)  1 deaths due to pregnancy toxemia  1 deaths due to theft  2 deaths due to unknown causes As can be seen from the above list 7 animals have died during this pilot project, which is in keeping with the initial projections. The mortality rates have now been reduced. However, inclusion of hardware that will further reduce losses is still required. These systems deal with monitoring of flock numbers, monitoring of individual animal weights and the surveillance of fencing ..

11

Physical Infrastructure Fencing With all management systems of animals, the barriers to keep the animals in and unwanted influences out, is one of the top three expenses. Due to the high costs associated with fencing, it has been witnessed, that most farmers, in the Fijian context, fail to put in place sufficient fencing, and as a result, cannot manage more than a dozen or so animals. This is the most likely reason why the farming outputs of Fiji in relation to animals is extremely low. With the RPO project the fencing was selected with the following main criteria;  Must be cost effective over a long term timeframe.  Must be effective at restricting dogs.  Must be robust.

The RPO team tested various configurations with the above listed material and sought the most cost effective manner of construction. It was found that timber posts were the highest cost of fence. The timber posts were used to anchor the fence in the corner by straining the wire from them. This was deemed too expensive, therefore concrete posts were used and this reduced costs in each corner by 70%. Also, the original design allowed for a steel post at $12 each to be placed in the fence line at a maximum of six meter intervals. This was reviewed later and then decided that the integrity of the fence would not be compromised if the spacing was expanded to 8 meters for every steel post, reducing cost further.

Gates Suitable agricultural farm gates are currently not available in Fiji and therefore have to be fabricated locally by an engineering shop. The raw materials however, are readily available at most hardware outlets. The cost-benefit analysis between on-farm production and outsourcing of gate production was undertaken. The outcome was that on-farm fabrication can be realized at approximately 20% of the cost of outsourcing. The gate design allowed for a three meter access in the fence line which was deemed large enough to allow large equipment access. At each entry point straining posts had to be installed to retain the fence integrity and to hold the weight of the gate, as a result these costs were higher than expected due to these requirements. Staff were trained in welding and fence hanging. The end result was a professional farm gate at a cost of $80 per gate. The cost quoted from the engineering workshops was approximately $450.

12

Shedding Unlike in more temperate climate zones, shedding is a critical component of the day to day operations within a farm located in the pacific island region. It is normal management practice of RPO to place the entire flock in sheds during the night period. This is to increase the control of two factors;  Disease – By placing the animals in sheds the supervisor is able to quickly check the flock and inspect it for any disease development. The most common of which is foot infections due to the high moisture content of the land which is prevalent in all tropical countries.  Security – Theft is a common occurrence on farms in the pacific islands. By placing the farm stock in sheds each evening the supervisor is able to count the stock twice per day (coming and going) and is able to isolate the flock in one location for the evening when most stock thefts appear to occur. The estimated cost for building these sheds is estimated at $15,000 each. One shed should be constructed to house a minimum of 200 animals. Therefore the cost of the shed is equivalent to 25% of the value of the animals housed within it. However the farmers in the pilot projected were directed to construct their own sheds and various configurations were built with costs ranging from $200 to $1,000 As can be seen by this conversion the shed is also a main financial constraint for most farmers in Fiji.

Animal Management area The design and installation of a sheep management area is critical for the proper management of the sheep in all aspects. The handling area consists of small fenced areas surrounding a ‘race’. This race is an alleyway through which sheep pass daily, one at a time, allowing the supervisor the ability to monitor and check sheep. The process is called ‘draughting’ and it also allows for separation of specific sheep for treatment in a smaller adjacent holding area. Within the project this animal management area has been established within close proximity to the nursery complex in order to reduce duplication of labour and infrastructure requirements.

Electronics It is essential, for the correct management of any commercial enterprise, that suitable management tools are installed. RPO has to date relied on simplistic management tools with high labour requirement. This however is deemed to be inefficient and the implementation of electronic scales, electronic identification systems, farm management software systems, farm security systems used and readily available in developed countries, is considered not just vital but good management practice.

13

Interactions between Animals and Trees Prior to the inception of the RPO project, analysis was carried out on different animals that may have been suitable. The species ranged from cattle, goat, sheep and deer. Yet the final choice of suitable animal rested with sheep for the following reasons;  Small animal weight to hoof ratio thereby limiting soil compaction.  Higher yields per animal when compared to cattle.  Less damage to trees when compared to both cattle and goats.  Lower fencing requirements when compared to goat, cattle and deer.  Well developed and available/accessible management systems when compared to deer and goat.  Substantial undersupply of sheep product in the domestic market. As a result, the selection of sheep was seen as more suitable than any other farm animal. At this stage of the project the selection of sheep as the animal of choice is still considered the correct choice. An additional, unforeseen benefit of the sheep being placed into the forested areas is the almost complete aversion of the sheep to the established Teak trees. This has had the unexpected benefit of the sheep uncovering dormant Teak seedlings in the tall grasses and weeds that infest the forest compartments. As a can be seen from the photograph below the sheep will feed on all vegetation surrounding these dormant seedlings and thereby releasing them from overshadowing and competition for nutrients.

Teak is a ‘pioneer species of tree’ that will wait for a break in the forest canopy, made by the death of an old growth tree. Therefore for the purposes of combining sheep grazing amongst Teak plantations indicates that the interactions are more beneficial than detrimental. Other benefits have also been recorded such as soil improvement and vegetative competition for nutrients being removed.

14

Reduction in Forestry inputs Under good plantation management, the company FFF, has been required to regularly enter the forested areas to remove weeds, grasses and climbing vines from around and on the standing trees. This is done because it is generally known that this vegetation directly competes for nutrients and moisture with the planted Teak trees. These management requirements have proved costly to forest development and time intensive of labor and machinery. For the pilot project, a random selection of one meter square grid was used, in which all vegetation was removed and weighed. After 24 weeks of the sheep grazing in the same area the process was repeated and the findings compared. All weights are fresh weights. The analysis of the testing grid confirmed that on average, 8 kilos of vegetation was weighed per square meter. This is equivalent to 80 tons of vegetation when converted per hectare. After 24 weeks of sheep grazing in the grid, the analysis demonstrated that the sheep grazing reduced the competing vegetation to approximately 6 tons per hectare. Further benefits, in addition to the removal of competing undergrowth vegetation by the sheep grazing, were realized:  Improved ease of access for farmers.  Potentially reduced injuries, due to contours being easily seen instead of hidden.  Potentially reduced fire risks, due to removal of dry matter.  Grazing on unwanted Teak basal shoots; During the first year of operation, we discovered the sheep’s avoidance of Teak and preference for other competing vegetation. In 2010, a significant shortage of rainfall was experienced across the island group due to the El Niño event. This has had significantly damaging effects on the grass and pasture. It was witnessed that some of the animals did indeed attempt to consume Teak leaves. However, this teak was growing from the base of the trees, the offshoots of the main Teak tree. These basal shoots on trees are unwanted characteristics of the tree and under good tree plantation management, are required to be removed by forestry staff lest they develop into low branching systems.

15

It can therefore be concluded that the sheep aided in the removal of these basal shoots, thereby reducing the forestry management inputs. It is uncertain at this stage as to whether the same animals will now consume the dormant seedlings. It must also be stated that only individual animals have displayed this trait and the majority of the animals still avoid all Teak leaves. As a solution, it would be a simply activity to remove the animals who have developed this trait.

Soil Impacts Soil samples were obtained prior to the commencement of the project and then at a six month interval. The soil samples were compared for variances that could be construed either negatively or positively. It was found that the soil condition in all the areas, where the sheep were active, had a positive effect on the soil conditions within the forested areas. 

The soil in the area that had the most activity from the animals had returned to A+ condition as stated by the soil testing center at Koronivia Research Station.

Some of the reason for this could be that;  The sheep aided naturally in the conversion of the large amounts of competing vegetation into manure and urea.  The continual inputs into the system via supplementary feeding of the sheep. In some instances during the recent drought, RPO was placing up to 100 kilogram equivalents of supplementary feed into the forest system per week, at a rate of 0.5 kilos of feed per sheep per day.

16

Through Alternate livelihood Small Scale Applications Within the requirements of FFF the need to maintain many small forestry compartments is proving to be costly and time intensive. Many of these forest compartments are separated and not continuous in land borders. Whilst FFF accumulates more freehold lands and via this, more forest inventory, the logistics for maintaining them is proving problematic. The advent of agro-forestry awareness may in itself propose a solution, because adjacent to many of the forest compartments farmers and their families reside that have lived in these areas for many years. It is these very same farmers that pose an additional problem for FFF due to their desire to use, surreptitiously, the lands planted by FFF in order to graze ruminants such as cattle and goats that do indeed damage the Teak trees. As a natural extension of the work that RPOhas undertaken, many of these farmers have been engaged in dialogue, and almost unanimously they have expressed their interest in the following model. The proposed model is an alternate livelihood on small scale and can be formed by a joint venture between the farmer and FFF, whereby;  FFF to install fencing around the forested lots and to supply sufficient sheep at a suitable and easily manageable stocking rate (5 sheep per acre).  the farmer to manage these sheep on behalf of FFF. This will then entail the farmer being a ‘default forester’ and guaranteeing the safety of the trees and at the same time reducing the competing vegetation via the grazing sheep. This joint venture can remunerate the farmer and delivers additional revenues to FFF. Naturally the arrangement is bound by an agreement and rules. On an annual basis the farmer is to meet with FFF to mutually divide the resulting increase in sheep numbers. Such rules may be that should the farmer lose, via death or theft, more than a set number of animals, the arrangement is terminated and the opportunity given to the next farmer or removed. When this is compared to the existing operational norms of FFF it actually delivers; 1. A significant reduction in cost and manpower. 2. A revenue, in the form of sheep. 3. A less tangible benefit is that the company can turn a neutral or disgruntled neighbour into an ally and agent of the company.

17

Summary Agro-forestry Constraint and Benefits Ravua Pastoral Company has been in operation for approximately twelve (12) months. The majority of this time was spend on implementing and review its business model, creating a physical infrastructure, hiring and training staff, liaison with the large variety of government agencies and sheep farmers, and developing a financial sound administration. The outcome of these 12 months can be summarized with the following bullet points;

Constraints There are several overriding issues that MUST be considered before commencing any AgroForestry or Silvo-Pastoral enterprise within Fiji. These are the following 1. The difficulty in obtaining breeding stock. Within Fiji it is estimated that the national flock is less than 4,000 (est). The majority of these animals are owned by private farmers who are extremely reluctant to sell any of their breeding ewes. As a result the experience of the Ravua Project has been one of frustration in attempts to source suitable animals. 2. Pre-planning. It is vital that prior to the development of a forestry compartment the grounds should be prepared for improved pasture. When this is done, the management of the animal husbandry would see reductions in all areas of risk. 3. Theft. Any enterprise of the nature described within this report must include the costs and implementation procedures for anti theft policies and hardware. The theft of stock is endemic to Fiji. 4. Infrastructure costs must be applied in the beginning for items such as sheds and fencing. These capital developments must be of high quality indicating a commitment and professionalism that is not currently being employed in the Fijian agricultural systems.

Benefits 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Reduction of competing vegetation within the forestry compartments. Improved ease of access for forestry staff. Potentially reduced injuries, due to contours being easily seen instead of hidden. Potentially reduced fire risks, due to removal of dry matter. Improvement of soil to A+ condition. Grazing on unwanted Teak basal shoots. Two level usage of land; tree as well as animal farming. Significant short term revenues. Potential for accounting flexibility, if a stand-alone subsidiary corporate entity is used as the management vehicle. 10. An attractive investment addition for FFF within its business model.

18

References Silvopasture: Establishment & management principles for pine forests in the Southeastern United States, February 2008 Editor: Jim Hamilton, Ph.D. Production coordinator: Kimberly Stuhr USDA National Agroforestry Center, 1945 N. 38th Street Lincoln, NE 68583–0822 www.unl.edu/nac www.workingtrees.org Calculating a gross margin for sheep, goat and cattle enterprises George Millear and Anne Conway and Tony Mills, formerly DPI&F. Document of The World Bank Report No: ICR0000875 IMPLEMENTATION COMPLETION AND RESULTS REPORT (TF-50612) ON A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF SDR 3.7 MILLION EQUIVALENT (US$ 4.5 MILLION) TO CENTRO AGRONOMICO TROPICAL DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y ENSEÑANZA (CATIE) FOR THE INTEGRATED SILVOPASTORAL APPROACHES TO ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN COLOMBIA, COSTA RICA, AND NICARAGUA November 2008, Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Central American Department Latin America and Caribbean Region National Agro-forestry Center Agro-forestry Notes USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. AF Note — 8 November, 1997 National Agro-forestry Center Agro-forestry Notes USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. AF Note — 9 November, 1997 Silvopasture Working Trees An agro-forestry practice manual

World Agroforestry Centre Annual Report 2008-2009 Writer: Charlie Pye-Smith Coordination, compilation, editing/proofreading: Michael Hailu, Kate Langford, Rebecca SelvarajahJaffery, Kris Vanhoutte

19