| Abstract: |
| ICRAF estabkished a regional research program in Southeast Asia in April, 1992, trough a memorandum of agreement with the Indonesia Ministry of Forestry. A regional research coordinator was appointed in July, 1992, and assumed his post at the Forest Research and Development Centre in Bogor on November 1. During the subsequent months, wide ranging consultations throughout Asia. From this process a focussed strategy for ICRAFs work in the region has been evolving. This paper reviews the current status of our vision for Southeast Asia, and how we intend to accomplish it. It is presented as aproposal for constructive review and revision.
The basic objective of the Southeast Asian Regional Research Program (SEARRP) is ti implement ICRAFs mission in the context of the unique agroecological and imstitutional circumstances of the nations of southeastern Asia. Defined in ecological terms the region includes the continuum of humid, tropical environments that streches from Indonesia and the Phillippines in the south and east, trough Indochina and southern China, to Thailand, Myanmar, and the northeastern hill states of India. This is an exceedingly diverse and dynamic region. It includes several growing, self-confident economies, alongside some of the tropical rainforest (104m ha in Indonesia) and many countries dominated by denuded, wasted hilly lands whose forest is only a memory.
ICRAFs direact presence in this region prior to 1992 had been quite modest. But knowledge of its work was widespread. The initiation of the regional program was received with deep enthusiasm and goodwill. It was also accompained by immense and wide ranging expectations. The region is certainly ready for ICRAF. The institute must now gain the effort and resources to meet the expectations its resence has unleashed.
Altough the recognized products that ICRAF can deliver are subtantial, the prospective resources are modest. Therefore, SEARRP must necessarily focus on a few key objectives, and strive to accomplish these well.
In defining what we do, we propose that our activities be limited to strategic and applied research in agroforestry. The attendant training and dissemination that we do would be directly targeted to enriching fot strategic and applied research in the institutions with whom we collaborate. It follows that the direct clients for our work are those institutions and individuals who are conducting research, training, dissemination, of policy implementation, at the govermental or non governmental levels.
Our analysis addresses the reality that ICRAFs mission in southeastern Asia can only be judged seccessful if it produces an appropriate balance between the our self perceived role, and the genuine needs of our clients in the region.
The paper defines a conceptual model of the ecosystems in southeastern Asia. We propose that ICRAF target its work exlusively within three of the seven ecosystems specified. The three target ecosystem are : The forest margins, the imperata grassland, and the hill slope farmlands. They generally occuration a landscapes continuum. Their choice is consistent with the broad themes of our work : rehabilitating degraded uplands, and developing alternatives to slash and burn agriculture. |
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