摘要
Outgrower Schemes have been implemented in different parts of the world to provide wood to forest and other companies and as income alternatives for farmers in rural areas. They have been considered by some researchers and practitioners as important advances in the area of planted forest and promoted by governments and forest companies in partnership with rural farmers and communities. Considering the importance of subsistence crops and forest products to smallholders and consumers and the economic viability of agroforestry, attention is given in this paper to Outgrower Schemes that combine tree planting with agroforestry, to contribute to food security and environment preservation in developing countries. The issue of Outgrower Schemes through integrated crops-tree systems was raised in a previous study of Outgrower Schemes in Brazil, commissioned by the FAO1. This paper examines, based on the research done for that study, the views and perspectives of the companies＇ personnel, the tree growers that participate in the programs studied, and other stakeholders＇ related institutions involved in such schemes with regard to the promotion of Outgrower Schemes through integrated crops-tree systems, linking them with agroforestry, which is a way those Outgrower Schemes can contribute to food security and environment preservation goals.
