1. The Master TreeGrower Program
Australia
Africa
Asia
Rowan Reid
Australian Agroforestry Foundation
With thanks to the

2. Rowan Reid
• B. Forest Sci. & M. For. Sci.
• Senior Lecturer , 20 years
(The University of Melbourne)
• Farmer and tree grower
• Australian Agroforestry Foundation
2

3. Agroforestry books/text
1987
1993
2011

4. 200,000 Australian Farmers
70% of the Australian landscape
Private
farmland
http://audit.ea.gov.au/anra/people/docs/national/Final%20Audit%20Report%20Vol1.doc

5. Our country needs agroforestry!

6. Agroforestry for
Conservation, Agriculture & Profit!

7. 1. Perfect models that farmers don’t want
Despite the ‘silver-bullet’ value of AF there has not been
widespread adoption – It’s not a movement.
(Rita)

8. 2. Trees that farmers want on their land
For the reasons they want them

9. What is
∧
AGROFORESTRY?

10. Different farmers = Different forests

11. Making agroforestry
‘attractive’ to farmers
1987
2010
1993
1987

12. 26-year-old Eucalyptus regnans grown in a
multipurpose riparian buffer strip
¼ Sawn
Back Sawn

13. A new story:
Productive Landcare
Solve problems
Create opportunities

14. An ‘attractive’ story for Australian farmers
Future $ from the trees you want now
Creating a ‘movement’

15. The Australian Master TreeGrower
101 Programs
Since 1996

16. >2000 Participants

17. The ‘Master TreeGrower’ idea
Engage with a group of local farmers for 6-8 days
(with some NGOs, Service providers, EOs and industry)

18. Talk about the markets for tree
products and services

19. Teach measurement skills
DBH, BA, MAI…..

20. Tree growth and management

21. Tree growth and wood quality (Teak)
Pith
Growth rings
Heartwood
Sapwood
Cambium
Bark

22. Encourage information sharing

23. Create a desire to learn/engage

24. Covers 4 levels of learning
Human/Community Development
Education
Problem Solving
Technology
Skills
• Experts
• Examples
• Experience
• Tools
• Trees
• Techniques
• Markets
• Measurement
• Management

25. Farmerslearnt a lot from farmers stories
I’ve sharing their agroforestry

26. I’ve sharing what trees mean
Farmerslearnt a lot from farmers to them

27. And….. farmers talk to farmers
• Interpretation
• Validation
• Adaptation
• Evaluation
• Reject
Improve the quality of the conversation

28. Peer Group Mentoring
Coach, then pay, farmers to talk to farmers

29. We felt we had something different
Agroforestry was about the conservation
(and trees don’t talk)

31. Master TreeGrower in Uganda

33. Kabale – Southwest Uganda

35. International and local presenters
Quality very high
Very knowledgeable
Inspiring
(Kabale MTG participants)

36. Participant-hosted farm walks
Owners were prepared and shared knowledge
Mentoring fellow farmers
(Kabale MTG participants)

37. Local industry, nursery and NGO tours
Learning and seeing is better
Eye opener, many opportunities
(Kabale MTG participants)

38. On-farm, household & non-timber products
Stove building
Mushrooms
Fruit
Fodder
Ideas to fight poverty
Learnt to plant trees with a purpose
(Kabale MTG participants)

39. MTG Tape
Hands on – great, motivating
(Kabale MTG participant)

40. Measured tree height, basal area and vol.
Positive, inspiring to grow more & take more care
(Kabale MTG participants)

41. Compared our management methods
I learnt how to prune, thin and plant
I am going to adjust right away
(Kabale MTG participants)

42. Nurseryman teaching nurseywoman
Original, enriching & relevant
New skills to teach my community
(Kabale MTG participants)

43. Shared ideas about program management
Improve our programmes
Long overdue but very valuable
My community will benefit
(Kabale MTG Professional Participants)

44. Shared food and stories
Treated equally, shared together & we were very happy
(Kabale MTG participant)

45. Was it a success?

46. Technology was ‘extended’

47. They liked the hat

48. The can use the MTG tape

49. They saw the value in running farm visits

50. BUT, it was not just a course with gifts
It’s was a conversation starter
MTG can help me, my community, my country, Africa

51. They formed the
Kabale Agroforestry Network
Inaugural steering committee

52. People are the same
(time to bring the two worlds together)
Our farms are different but the hat still fits

53. The MTG is like
teaching someone to paint

54. Their impact on their landscapes
Trees don’t change landscapes – People do

55. Now we go to Niger and Indonesia
Photo: Tony Rinaudo/Peter Cunningham

56. Thank You

57. www.agroforestry.org.au