Project progress report 6

Abstract

Agroforestry is recognized as one of the major objectives In CATIE's new planning and organlzational structure. The Project's general objective (development and dissemination of agroforestry production systems for small farmers in the Central American Isthmus) is in complete accordance with the strategic plan of its main counterpart organization. Collection, evaluation and documentation of bio-physical, socio-cultural and economic data of about 60 on-farm experiments in four project locations of Costa Rica and Panama are going on. Progress results demonstrate that the objectives can be reached. Needs and opportunities of the target group's individuals had been discussed initially with selected farmers; nine research topics were chosen for on-farm trials (including timber trees and leguminous trees in cocoa plantations, trees as living supports for black pepper, timber trees in farm boundaries, forestry plantations using modified Taungya). In Puriscal (Costa Rica) component. Extension work at both the community and the farmers level is aimed at providing a basis for future development of models for extension by local and/or national organizations. First measures have been taken to transfer the Project's methods of technology generation, validation and dissemination to three other countries of Central America.