At a standing-room-only evening side event during Asia-Pacific Forestry Week, forestry leaders and scientists called for renewed investment in smallholder tree farming as a cornerstone of sustainable wood production across the region.
The panel discussion, titled Smallholder tree farming in Asia-Pacific: Challenges and opportunities ahead, was co-hosted by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). It took place alongside the 31st session of the Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission.
Bringing together experts, researchers and government representatives from India, Indonesia, Fiji and Nepal, the event reflected both the diversity and growing potential and importance of smallholder-led forestry in the Asia-Pacific region.
Meeting rising demand with smallholder solutions
Opening the discussion, CIFOR Director-General and CIFOR-ICRAF Director of Science Robert Nasi reminded delegates that smallholders already supply most of the region’s industrial timber supply.
“When we empower smallholders with the right policies, markets and science, we can help meet Asia’s growing wood demand without further degrading natural forests,” Nasi said. “These farmers are the quiet architects of a greener, more resilient rural economy.”
The event featured the launch of a new FAO–CIFOR-ICRAF report, Agroforestry for Wood Production: Insights from multifunctional smallholder tree-farming systems in Asia and the Pacific.
The report shows that trees managed by smallholders, across a wide range of production systems, provide a substantial share of roundwood in several countries, notably China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Regional insights: From India to the Pacific
Speakers shared national experiences that highlighted both progress and persistent challenges.
From India, Rekha Warrier described how agroforestry and trees outside forests, largely managed by smallholders, now account for roughly one-third of the country’s total tree and forest cover. These systems supply about 90 percent of India’s industrial timber and more than 60 percent of its fuelwood, illustrating how long-term policy support has reshaped rural economies.
In Indonesia, Agus Justianto explained how national community and social forestry programmes are expanding local participation in wood production while improving household incomes and strengthening forest stewardship.
From the Pacific, Alivereti Naikatini outlined Fiji’s afforestation and reforestation targets, which aim to stimulate economic growth while increasing environmental resilience. Smallholder farmers, he noted, are expected to play a central role in achieving these ambitions.
In Nepal, Deergha Narayan Koirala highlighted the Building a Resilient Churia Region project, funded by the Green Climate Fund with co-financing from Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment and FAO. The initiative supports farmers in the fragile Churia Hills to scale up agroforestry practices that restore ecosystems, reduce emissions and strengthen community resilience.
Evidence from science and practice
FAO Forestry Officer Faustine Zoveda emphasized the collaborative nature of the new regional study, which draws on nine case studies and a comprehensive literature review. The work involved 33 authors and reviewers from 12 organizations, including CIFOR-ICRAF, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Central Agroforestry Research Institute, the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, ITTO, RECOFTC and the University of Melbourne.
The report was further shaped through three expert consultations: ITTO’s Expert Workshop, the Sustainable Wood for a Sustainable Future forum and an Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission member consultation.
CIFOR-ICRAF scientist and report co-author Himlal Baral described smallholder tree farming as a way to “turn trees into living savings accounts”, offering liquidity and security for rural households while restoring degraded landscapes. He pointed to secure tenure, access to quality germplasm, functioning markets and fair pricing as critical conditions for success at scale.
Speakers from FAO and ITTO also stressed that smallholder-based wood production contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, aligning climate action, biodiversity conservation and livelihoods.
Smallholder farmers collect resin from damar trees in an agroforestry landscape in Lampung, Indonesia, illustrating how tree-based systems support livelihoods while maintaining forest cover. Photo by Nanang Sujana / CIFOR-ICRAF
Towards a sustainable wood economy
Closing the discussion, Sheila Wertz-Kanounnikoff, senior forestry officer at FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, noted that agroforestry is central to the region’s transition towards a circular bioeconomy.
“The evidence is clear,” she said. “Smallholder tree farming brings together climate action, biodiversity restoration and economic opportunity. Investing in these systems is investing in the future.”
Participants agreed that stronger links between research, finance and policy will be essential if millions of farmers are to produce timber sustainably at scale, helping ensure that healthy forests can continue to feed the future.
