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| Article Title | Fluctuating Fortunes of a Collective Enterprise: The Case of the Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in the Philippines | | Author | Delia Catacutan, Manuel Bertomeu, Lyndon J.Arbes, Caroline E.Duque and Novie Butra | | Year | 2008 | | Journal Title | Small-Scale Forestry | | Institution | Springer | | Volume | 7 | | Pages | 353–368 | | Call Number | JA0298-08 | | Keywords | Collective action, Niche marketing, Market facilitation, Agroforestry, Germplasm | | Notes | This paper is a revised version of CAPRi Working Paper 76, ‘Collective Action and Property Rights’, originally presented at the CAPRi Research Workshop on Collective Action and Market Access for Smallholders, October 2–5, 2006, Cali, Colombia. |
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| Abstract: |
| The Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in Bukidnon province of Mindanao, Philippines, was organized in 1998, facilitated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Farmers were trained on germplasm collection, processing and marketing of agroforestry tree seeds and seedlings. ATSAL has been marketing various tree seeds and seedlings with apparent success, and has provided training on seed collection and nursery management to farmers, government technicians, and workers from non-government organizations. This paper reports initial results of a continuing study to assess the effectiveness of ATSAL’s marketing strategy, including group dynamics, and the issues and challenges the group faces. It was found that during the first 2 years, ATSAL’s market share of highly demanded timber tree species grew rapidly, thus helping to disseminate widely these important species among farmers. ICRAF’s technical backup was an advantage, increasing the Association’s market credibility. Subsequently, ATSAL extended its market to the central Philippines, but failed to meet the demand for seeds due to organizational limitations. Market competition exists where a non-member was able to take a larger market share than was the group. Nonetheless, ATSAL has established its name as a viable community-based seed and seedling producer, maintaining a stronghold in local and regional markets. Collective action is important for smallholders to gain market access, but is unlikely to sustain sales. Facilitating smallholder collective action is essentially an arduous task, requiring the supporting agency to hold a firm grasp of market realities, to invest in the maintenance of collective action, to provide continuous technical backup, and to ascertain the conditions that make collective action succeed. |
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GRP 1: Domestication, utilization andconservation ofsuperior agroforestry germplasm
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