Moving towards the development of a research network of tropical fruit trees in Asia and Pacific
Non-wood forest products in forestry education
Los biocombustibles y los productos forestales no maderables
MOVING TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH NETWORK OF TROPICAL FRUIT TREES IN ASIA AND PACIFIC
N. HAQ
In July 1992, the participants at a regional meeting on the Utilization of Traditional and Underexploited Fruits and Nuts (organized by the International Centre for Underutilized Crops - ICUC -and the Commonwealth Science Council - CSC - in Dhaka, Bangladesh) strongly recommended the establishment of a Regional Research Network of Tropical Fruit Trees in Asia and the Pacific.
The broad objectives of the network will be to improve sustainable production of promising tropical fruit trees (TFT), to improve nutritional quality and to increase the income and welfare of the poorest sections of the region, through the expanded cultivation and exploitation of these trees and their products.
More specifically, the network will aim: 1) to collect, collate and disseminate information on TFT research on genetic resources, production, post-harvest handling, processing, trade and development; 2) to exchange expertise and to organize training courses, workshops and expert meetings to improve human resources skills; 3) to assist countries in bridging specific technical gaps in research and development of TFT; 4) to facilitate exchange of research findings, and to monitor progress and usefulness of such exchange; and 5) to establish and coordinate effective cooperative research on selected topics in the region.
In April 1993, as a first step in the implementation of the programme, ICUC, in collaboration with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), and in consultation with CSC and other organizations, prepared and distributed a questionnaire regarding TFT to a total of 468 scientists, non-governmental organizations, traders and policy-makers in the region. Based on questionnaire responses (91 to date), the top ten species identified are:
SPECIES | WIDELY GROWN | UNDER-UTILIZED | TOTAL NO. OF SCORES |
Mangifera indica | 36 | 5 | 41 |
Artocarpus heterophyllus | 18 | 16 | 34 |
Musa acuminata | 31 | 0 | 31 |
Psidium guajava | 16 | 7 | 23 |
Zizyphus mauritiana | 8 | 11 | 19 |
Syzygium cumini | 2 | 13 | 15 |
Litchi chinensis | 9 | 6 | 15 |
Emblica officinalis | 3 | 11 | 14 |
Annona squamosa | 6 | 8 | 14 |
Aegle marmelos | 0 | 14 | 14 |
The proceedings of the Dhaka meeting have been published and a newsletter of the tropical fruits network for Asia and the Pacific has been developed. It is hoped that a consortium of national participants and donor agencies will be established during the first half of 1994 to move towards full implementation of the programme.
In related developments, ICUC, CSC and FAO, through its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAPA), are planning to publish a bibliography on TFT by the end of 1994. A training workshop on tropical fruit production is planned at Mardi, Malaysia in July 1994. A research project related to TFT development will also be carried out in three Commonwealth countries. It is hoped moreover that ICUC and IPGRI will soon jointly publish a Directory of Tropical Fruit Researchers of the region.
For further information on current and planned activities of the Research Network of Tropical Fruit Trees in Asia and the Pacific, or on the Commonwealth research project, please contact Mr N. Haq, Project Coordinator, Tropical Fruit Trees, University of Southampton, Department of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Building, Bassett Crescent, East Southampton S09 3TU, UK.
NON-WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS IN FORESTRY EDUCATION
C. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Forestry education was, and in many cases still is, focused heavily on timber management, timber technology and timber utilization. The multiple functions of the forests are generally recognized, but without much influence on the educational system except in the industrialized countries. Recently some countries have begun to introduce courses in social forestry, agroforestry, forest economics and environmental sciences. But, at best, non-wood forest products (NWFPs) tend to receive only superficial treatment in most developing countries. The emergence of NWFPs as an increasingly important area of forestry and sustainable forest development demands that facilities for forestry education and training are developed to provide the skills and capabilities needed in the sector -including multidisciplinary generalists and subject-matter specialists.
In aspects related to inventory, conservation, expansion, management and utilization of resources, what is being applied to wood cannot immediately be applied to NWFPs. Moreover, what is applicable to one non-wood forest product will not, in most cases, be suitable for another. Thus development of NWFPs calls for diverse skills and a multidisciplinary approach involving agronomy, biology, ecology, entomology, ethnobotany, farming systems, food technology, fibre technology, information systems, mycology, nutrition, plant genetics, phytochemistry, polymer chemistry, rural sociology and other disciplines hitherto not involved in forestry. Incorporating subjects related to NWFPs, in an appropriate and balanced manner, in forestry education and training, with a view to widening the skill base of the profession, will necessitate adjustments in the existing systems.
The situation and problems of forestry education and training are quite different in different countries. Therefore, enhancing the content of NWFPs in forestry education and training will have to be done within the overall context in the country and to meet its specific needs. In-service training can help effect immediate to short-term improvements and meet urgent needs. For long-term improvement and for supporting sustainable development it is necessary to rectify the current inadequacies. It is stressed here that wood and non-wood do not represent any sort of dichotomy of interests, but are complementary components in an integrated whole. Forestry education has to accept and promote this complementarity.
Adjustments in curricula
The construction and improvement of curricula are continuing processes in developing education and training. It may often be necessary in the absence of details of the skills needed (as is the case with NWFPs) to start with a provisional curriculum and refine it by stages; this is better than delaying action by waiting for full details.
One new approach is "meta-disciplinary" education. This aims to impart particular expertise together with a general knowledge of a problem area; if it is successful, the result will be a specialist in terms of his/her expert knowledge but a generalist within the field to which he/she applies that expert knowledge. This concept has an obvious appeal in forestry. It can be argued that it is more cost-effective than establishing multidisciplinary teams of experts, and that it can provide managerial and entrepreneurial, as well as scientific, skills.
It is also possible to provide flexibility and make modifications as needed in the course content (both theoretical and practical) of specific programmes to satisfy certain requirements of particular disciplinary areas or interfaces. For example, courses on forestry planning can include particular aspects of NWFPs such as developing medicinal plants or gums and resins.
Yet another possibility for widening the exposure of students to NWFPs is by encouraging practical work experience (e.g. by harvesting NWFPs) and considering it to be complementary to the academic curriculum. These can be sandwiched between academic sessions. But in most developing countries facilities and employer willingness for such apprenticeship do not exist.
The addition of a wide range of subjects, such as the diverse groups of NWFPs in all their related aspects, will broaden the nature of forestry education. This will provide the students with a better capacity for planning and policy analysis; it will also qualify them for entry to a much wider range of professions than before.
Conclusion
There are no conceptual problems in appropriately incorporating NWFPs in forestry education and training programmes, adding to the multidisciplinary content of forestry education. This can be done by balancing the curriculum, improving the curriculum content, encouraging practical on-the-job training, promoting the educational role of research and so on. There are, however, practical and institutional difficulties to be addressed, relating to financial resources, facilities, trained teaching staff, teaching materials, controls and regulations, institutional flexibility, motivation and incentives and policy support. This obviously needs to be done in a rationally phased manner.
(Based on the paper presented by Mr C. Chandrasekharan at the 17th Session of the FAO Advisory Committee on Forestry Education, Bangkok, Thailand, 13-15 December 1993)
M.A. TROSSERO
La novedad forestal más reciente que seguramente incidirá en el desarrollo futuro de los recursos forestales, lo constituye la utilización de los biocombustibles para mitigar los cambios ambientales derivados del uso irracional y desmesurado de los combustibles derivados del petróleo y el carbón mineral.
Las medidas comúnmente adoptadas por los países industrializados para reducir los problemas ambientales hacen hincapié en el mejoramiento de la eficiencia y conservación energética, pero son insuficientes para resolver los problemas existentes puesto que, en la presente década, el elevado crecimiento económico que tendrá lugar en los países emergentes hace esperar en un considerable incremento del consumo de combustibles fósiles lo cual agudizará los problemas del medio ambiente y el cambio climático mencionados.
Una mayor utilización de «energías renovables» parece ser la respuesta mas conveniente para reducir la emisión de CO2. En efecto, se comienza a observar en las estadísticas energéticas de los países europeos una contribución importante de la hidroelectricidad y de los biocombustibles a pesar de los bajos precios actuales del petróleo.
Es oportuno señalar el caso particular de dos biocombustibles que están progresivamente ingresando en el competitivo mercado de los combustibles líquidos derivados del petróleo; ellos son: el biodiesel y la gasolina verde (sin contenido de plomo).
El biodiesel es una alternativa viable para la sustitución del diesel en los motores de vehículos de transporte de cargas y que es normalmente elaborado mediante la esterificación de diferentes aceites vegetales de origen agrícola (girasol, soja, maíz, maní, corza) o forestal (palma, coco, babacu, etc.).
Mientras tanto, la industria automotriz y del petróleo están abocadas al desarrollo y comercialización de un nuevo aditivo para las elaboración de gasolinas verdes a partir de ETBE (Etil Tertiary Butil Ether) en sustitución del MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) que es un producto derivado de la industria petrolera (metano!).
El ETBE se obtiene del etanol el cual es producido de la hidrólisis de «materias primas renovables» del sector agrícola (caña de azúcar, el maíz y el sorgo). Sin embargo, el etanol se puede obtener de materias primas forestales lo cual permite el uso de los múltiples residuos provenientes de la industria de transformación de la madera, del sotobosque y arboles de pequeño diámetro. El ETBE es una solución eficaz y relativamente reciente al controvertido uso del etanol en mezcla con la gasolina y de cuya producción existe una larga experiencia en varios países como Argentina, Brasil, Estados Unidos y muchos otros.
En Malasia, el Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales de Malasia (FRIM) con la asistencia técnica de la FAO y el apoyo económico del PNUD, se han iniciado actividades de investigación para la producción de ETBE a partir de la utilización de los troncos de la palma aceitera con resultados muy interesantes. Las plantaciones de palma aceitera son eliminadas a la edad de 20-25 anos para dar lugar a las nuevas plantaciones. En el caso particular de Malasia la cantidad de residuos a eliminar anualmente se estima en 2 millones de toneladas (base seca) lo cual constituye un serio problema para la industria aceitera.
La utilización de esta biomasa para la producción de etanol y luego la elaboración de ETBE permitiría sustituir la demanda del país en MTBE con múltiples ventajas socio-económicas (generación de empleo en arcas rurales, reducción de costos de producción en la industria aceitera) e incalculables beneficios de carácter ambiental a nivel global y local. Es interesante notar que tanto el ETBE como el biodiesel están siendo comercializados exitosamente en diversas ciudades europeas de Francia, Italia, Austria y de EEUU como combustible de normales motores de automóviles y camiones.
Sin embargo, los costos de producción de estos biocombustibles, con la tecnología disponible actualmente, son mas elevados que los de los combustibles fósiles alternativos. Por tal motivo, mientras la tecnología se desarrolla para reducir los costos de producción, los gobiernos, en el marco de politices orientadas hacia la preservación y mejoramiento ambiental, están otorgando subsidios especiales para promover su utilización comercial.
Image 2
Estos son solo dos casos que sirven para ilustrar las inmensas posibilidades que ofrece la utilización de los recursos forestales como fuente de energía renovable; una razón a tener en seria consideración en las futuras politices del sector forestal y energético y un verdadero desafío para los profesionales del sector.
Moving towards the development of a research network of tropical fruit trees in Asia and Pacific
Non-wood forest products in forestry education
Los biocombustibles y los productos forestales no maderables
MOVING TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RESEARCH NETWORK OF TROPICAL FRUIT TREES IN ASIA AND PACIFIC
N. HAQ
In July 1992, the participants at a regional meeting on the Utilization of Traditional and Underexploited Fruits and Nuts (organized by the International Centre for Underutilized Crops - ICUC -and the Commonwealth Science Council - CSC - in Dhaka, Bangladesh) strongly recommended the establishment of a Regional Research Network of Tropical Fruit Trees in Asia and the Pacific.
The broad objectives of the network will be to improve sustainable production of promising tropical fruit trees (TFT), to improve nutritional quality and to increase the income and welfare of the poorest sections of the region, through the expanded cultivation and exploitation of these trees and their products.
More specifically, the network will aim: 1) to collect, collate and disseminate information on TFT research on genetic resources, production, post-harvest handling, processing, trade and development; 2) to exchange expertise and to organize training courses, workshops and expert meetings to improve human resources skills; 3) to assist countries in bridging specific technical gaps in research and development of TFT; 4) to facilitate exchange of research findings, and to monitor progress and usefulness of such exchange; and 5) to establish and coordinate effective cooperative research on selected topics in the region.
In April 1993, as a first step in the implementation of the programme, ICUC, in collaboration with the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), and in consultation with CSC and other organizations, prepared and distributed a questionnaire regarding TFT to a total of 468 scientists, non-governmental organizations, traders and policy-makers in the region. Based on questionnaire responses (91 to date), the top ten species identified are:
SPECIES | WIDELY GROWN | UNDER-UTILIZED | TOTAL NO. OF SCORES |
Mangifera indica | 36 | 5 | 41 |
Artocarpus heterophyllus | 18 | 16 | 34 |
Musa acuminata | 31 | 0 | 31 |
Psidium guajava | 16 | 7 | 23 |
Zizyphus mauritiana | 8 | 11 | 19 |
Syzygium cumini | 2 | 13 | 15 |
Litchi chinensis | 9 | 6 | 15 |
Emblica officinalis | 3 | 11 | 14 |
Annona squamosa | 6 | 8 | 14 |
Aegle marmelos | 0 | 14 | 14 |
The proceedings of the Dhaka meeting have been published and a newsletter of the tropical fruits network for Asia and the Pacific has been developed. It is hoped that a consortium of national participants and donor agencies will be established during the first half of 1994 to move towards full implementation of the programme.
In related developments, ICUC, CSC and FAO, through its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAPA), are planning to publish a bibliography on TFT by the end of 1994. A training workshop on tropical fruit production is planned at Mardi, Malaysia in July 1994. A research project related to TFT development will also be carried out in three Commonwealth countries. It is hoped moreover that ICUC and IPGRI will soon jointly publish a Directory of Tropical Fruit Researchers of the region.
For further information on current and planned activities of the Research Network of Tropical Fruit Trees in Asia and the Pacific, or on the Commonwealth research project, please contact Mr N. Haq, Project Coordinator, Tropical Fruit Trees, University of Southampton, Department of Biology, Biomedical Sciences Building, Bassett Crescent, East Southampton S09 3TU, UK.
NON-WOOD FOREST PRODUCTS IN FORESTRY EDUCATION
C. CHANDRASEKHARAN
Forestry education was, and in many cases still is, focused heavily on timber management, timber technology and timber utilization. The multiple functions of the forests are generally recognized, but without much influence on the educational system except in the industrialized countries. Recently some countries have begun to introduce courses in social forestry, agroforestry, forest economics and environmental sciences. But, at best, non-wood forest products (NWFPs) tend to receive only superficial treatment in most developing countries. The emergence of NWFPs as an increasingly important area of forestry and sustainable forest development demands that facilities for forestry education and training are developed to provide the skills and capabilities needed in the sector -including multidisciplinary generalists and subject-matter specialists.
In aspects related to inventory, conservation, expansion, management and utilization of resources, what is being applied to wood cannot immediately be applied to NWFPs. Moreover, what is applicable to one non-wood forest product will not, in most cases, be suitable for another. Thus development of NWFPs calls for diverse skills and a multidisciplinary approach involving agronomy, biology, ecology, entomology, ethnobotany, farming systems, food technology, fibre technology, information systems, mycology, nutrition, plant genetics, phytochemistry, polymer chemistry, rural sociology and other disciplines hitherto not involved in forestry. Incorporating subjects related to NWFPs, in an appropriate and balanced manner, in forestry education and training, with a view to widening the skill base of the profession, will necessitate adjustments in the existing systems.
The situation and problems of forestry education and training are quite different in different countries. Therefore, enhancing the content of NWFPs in forestry education and training will have to be done within the overall context in the country and to meet its specific needs. In-service training can help effect immediate to short-term improvements and meet urgent needs. For long-term improvement and for supporting sustainable development it is necessary to rectify the current inadequacies. It is stressed here that wood and non-wood do not represent any sort of dichotomy of interests, but are complementary components in an integrated whole. Forestry education has to accept and promote this complementarity.
Adjustments in curricula
The construction and improvement of curricula are continuing processes in developing education and training. It may often be necessary in the absence of details of the skills needed (as is the case with NWFPs) to start with a provisional curriculum and refine it by stages; this is better than delaying action by waiting for full details.
One new approach is "meta-disciplinary" education. This aims to impart particular expertise together with a general knowledge of a problem area; if it is successful, the result will be a specialist in terms of his/her expert knowledge but a generalist within the field to which he/she applies that expert knowledge. This concept has an obvious appeal in forestry. It can be argued that it is more cost-effective than establishing multidisciplinary teams of experts, and that it can provide managerial and entrepreneurial, as well as scientific, skills.
It is also possible to provide flexibility and make modifications as needed in the course content (both theoretical and practical) of specific programmes to satisfy certain requirements of particular disciplinary areas or interfaces. For example, courses on forestry planning can include particular aspects of NWFPs such as developing medicinal plants or gums and resins.
Yet another possibility for widening the exposure of students to NWFPs is by encouraging practical work experience (e.g. by harvesting NWFPs) and considering it to be complementary to the academic curriculum. These can be sandwiched between academic sessions. But in most developing countries facilities and employer willingness for such apprenticeship do not exist.
The addition of a wide range of subjects, such as the diverse groups of NWFPs in all their related aspects, will broaden the nature of forestry education. This will provide the students with a better capacity for planning and policy analysis; it will also qualify them for entry to a much wider range of professions than before.
Conclusion
There are no conceptual problems in appropriately incorporating NWFPs in forestry education and training programmes, adding to the multidisciplinary content of forestry education. This can be done by balancing the curriculum, improving the curriculum content, encouraging practical on-the-job training, promoting the educational role of research and so on. There are, however, practical and institutional difficulties to be addressed, relating to financial resources, facilities, trained teaching staff, teaching materials, controls and regulations, institutional flexibility, motivation and incentives and policy support. This obviously needs to be done in a rationally phased manner.
(Based on the paper presented by Mr C. Chandrasekharan at the 17th Session of the FAO Advisory Committee on Forestry Education, Bangkok, Thailand, 13-15 December 1993)
M.A. TROSSERO
La novedad forestal más reciente que seguramente incidirá en el desarrollo futuro de los recursos forestales, lo constituye la utilización de los biocombustibles para mitigar los cambios ambientales derivados del uso irracional y desmesurado de los combustibles derivados del petróleo y el carbón mineral.
Las medidas comúnmente adoptadas por los países industrializados para reducir los problemas ambientales hacen hincapié en el mejoramiento de la eficiencia y conservación energética, pero son insuficientes para resolver los problemas existentes puesto que, en la presente década, el elevado crecimiento económico que tendrá lugar en los países emergentes hace esperar en un considerable incremento del consumo de combustibles fósiles lo cual agudizará los problemas del medio ambiente y el cambio climático mencionados.
Una mayor utilización de «energías renovables» parece ser la respuesta mas conveniente para reducir la emisión de CO2. En efecto, se comienza a observar en las estadísticas energéticas de los países europeos una contribución importante de la hidroelectricidad y de los biocombustibles a pesar de los bajos precios actuales del petróleo.
Es oportuno señalar el caso particular de dos biocombustibles que están progresivamente ingresando en el competitivo mercado de los combustibles líquidos derivados del petróleo; ellos son: el biodiesel y la gasolina verde (sin contenido de plomo).
El biodiesel es una alternativa viable para la sustitución del diesel en los motores de vehículos de transporte de cargas y que es normalmente elaborado mediante la esterificación de diferentes aceites vegetales de origen agrícola (girasol, soja, maíz, maní, corza) o forestal (palma, coco, babacu, etc.).
Mientras tanto, la industria automotriz y del petróleo están abocadas al desarrollo y comercialización de un nuevo aditivo para las elaboración de gasolinas verdes a partir de ETBE (Etil Tertiary Butil Ether) en sustitución del MTBE (Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether) que es un producto derivado de la industria petrolera (metano!).
El ETBE se obtiene del etanol el cual es producido de la hidrólisis de «materias primas renovables» del sector agrícola (caña de azúcar, el maíz y el sorgo). Sin embargo, el etanol se puede obtener de materias primas forestales lo cual permite el uso de los múltiples residuos provenientes de la industria de transformación de la madera, del sotobosque y arboles de pequeño diámetro. El ETBE es una solución eficaz y relativamente reciente al controvertido uso del etanol en mezcla con la gasolina y de cuya producción existe una larga experiencia en varios países como Argentina, Brasil, Estados Unidos y muchos otros.
En Malasia, el Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales de Malasia (FRIM) con la asistencia técnica de la FAO y el apoyo económico del PNUD, se han iniciado actividades de investigación para la producción de ETBE a partir de la utilización de los troncos de la palma aceitera con resultados muy interesantes. Las plantaciones de palma aceitera son eliminadas a la edad de 20-25 anos para dar lugar a las nuevas plantaciones. En el caso particular de Malasia la cantidad de residuos a eliminar anualmente se estima en 2 millones de toneladas (base seca) lo cual constituye un serio problema para la industria aceitera.
La utilización de esta biomasa para la producción de etanol y luego la elaboración de ETBE permitiría sustituir la demanda del país en MTBE con múltiples ventajas socio-económicas (generación de empleo en arcas rurales, reducción de costos de producción en la industria aceitera) e incalculables beneficios de carácter ambiental a nivel global y local. Es interesante notar que tanto el ETBE como el biodiesel están siendo comercializados exitosamente en diversas ciudades europeas de Francia, Italia, Austria y de EEUU como combustible de normales motores de automóviles y camiones.
Sin embargo, los costos de producción de estos biocombustibles, con la tecnología disponible actualmente, son mas elevados que los de los combustibles fósiles alternativos. Por tal motivo, mientras la tecnología se desarrolla para reducir los costos de producción, los gobiernos, en el marco de politices orientadas hacia la preservación y mejoramiento ambiental, están otorgando subsidios especiales para promover su utilización comercial.
Image 2
Estos son solo dos casos que sirven para ilustrar las inmensas posibilidades que ofrece la utilización de los recursos forestales como fuente de energía renovable; una razón a tener en seria consideración en las futuras politices del sector forestal y energético y un verdadero desafío para los profesionales del sector.