Over the last 3 years activities were undertaken in Tanzania to assess rural people's needs for tree products and to match needs and species preferences with appropriate silviculture and forest management practices. The result of this work is:
· a framework for assessing species of value to local people and that have the potential for more intensive cultivation;· a user friendly computer programme, SPECIES, developed as a data base for tree species information for use at either the project level or various government levels. The data base has been started for Tanzania and can be added to as more or new information is gathered. For more information about the data base programme or to obtain a copy, contact Tree Roots Network, 2995 Waterloo Street, Vancouver, B.C.; phone 604-731-2545 or fax 604-731-3391 or Forest Products Division, Forestry Department, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy; fax 39-6-5797-5137;
· the present handbook on species of economic importance to be used by NGOs, local groups, and the government for development projects with agroforestry and farm forestry components.
The information in this handbook is based on formal and informal research conducted in Tanzania on 4 separate occasions. The handbook is the result of numerous group discussions, village meetings, individual interviews, and discussions with local foresters. It also draws on literature from many disciplines: economics, forestry, ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, and farming systems, and it incorporates information from the Ministry of Tourism, Natural Resources and Environment, Forestry and Bee Keeping Division, research results from Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TAFORI), Tanzania Forest Tree Seed Centre, Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro, and information from NGOs.
This work was made possible by the support and efforts of numerous people and organizations. Foremost are the people of Tanzania who so readily gave their time, knowledge, and warmth. A special thanks is given to the foresters at the regional and district levels who arranged field visits, identified species, and helped with translating. A deep appreciation is also extended to Sada K. Juma of the Development Services Foundation (a Tanzanian environmental and developmental NGO) for her dedication to the project and her commitment to ensuring that the work was carried out in a professional manner.
The field work and development of the data base programme SPECIES was funded by the Environmental Development Support Programme funded by CIDA. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service provided funds for the printing and distribution of the document, and for drawings. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome, provided technical and financial support for the preparation of the document.
A special thanks is given to Heather Hamilton of Cultural Survival for supporting the project and persevering to find the needed funds. Cultural Survival Canada helped to obtain and coordinate funding for the work.
Thanks is also given to the following people for their comments, suggestions and time spent reviewing the document: C. K. Ruffo, Tanzania Silvicultural Research Institute; Sada Juma Tanzania Development Services Foundation; S. Mtallo, Tanzania Development Services Foundation; Agnete Thomsen, FAO; Ron Ayling, International Development Research Centre; Luc Dubreuil, FAO; Abul Shariff; Alfonsina Mtui; Stephan Sander; Killaine Sharman; and Peter Geldart.
