An agroforester from Zimbabwe describes how a system of ?tree tenure? encourages sustainable harvesting of indigenous fruit trees, explains ways of adding value to the fruit, and how domestication of indigenous fruit trees can take the pressure off natural forests.

These proceedings present results from research done for a decade in the CIFOR project Site Management and Productivity in Tropical Plantations. They include papers presented at a workshop in Brazil in November 2004 and then updated at a workshop in November 2006 at Bogor, Indonesia. These papers complement the proceedings in the series published by CIFOR in 2004, 2000, and 1999. Currently the research network includes 16 sites in 8 countries representing a range of biophysical environments, species, productivity potentials and management strategies.

A co-ordinator of the Kenya Forests Working Group describes how it has been working with local forest management committees, to set up forest use agreements and educate communities in improved forest management methods.

An NGO in Zambia has volunteers living with forest communities, in order to build up trust and work together on alternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture.

The review, coordinated by Bioversity International, presents an impartial, evidence-based review of cacao propagation methods, to serve as a basis for the assessment and implementation of strategies for providing farmers with quality planting materials, adapted to current and future needs (cultural, institutional, technical, environmental and financial). It describes the various propagation methods available for the production and supply of large numbers of cacao plants to growers.

Namo Chuma, of the NGO Environment Africa, explains how traditional arrangements have protected trees in Zimbabwe, and how a new piece of legislation could empower communities to protect their forests against illegal exploitation by commercial interests.

Technical information