Reforestation/rural energy

Each model farm will occupy at least 1,500 ha, producing enough timber to power a 3-megawatt plant. A.I.D.-funded consultants will help the NEA promote reforestation with the fast-growing Leucaena leucocephala as a commercial venture among farmers while also providing technical assistance and incentives to help farmers, most of whom live at the subsistence level, grow their own food without recourse to slash-and-burn methods. The NEA will also develop a silviculture program to multiply selected high-yielding clones in conveniently located nurseries, conduct site adaptability trials with different species, and improve planting systems through proper spacing and the use of mixed species. Specially trained NEA personnel will help farmer associations and co-ops resolve pertinent issues, e.g., succession to equity rights and inclusion in the project of slash-and-burn farmers occupying government lands but living outside plantation sites. They will also help farmers identify and solve problems posed by the project"s novel concept and remote location, especially in the critical area of land use planning, i.e., in determining the optimum land use and deciding where and how to raise food, forage, animal protein, and cottage industry raw materials (A.I.D. will provide long-term consultancies in this area). The project will also help the NEA develop systems to transport timber from steep slopes to plants, examine prospects for small industry activities using plantation-grown timber, and hire management and accounting consultants to help develop its long-term program. The project will also provide consultants to help local industries and government plan the production of dendro-thermal plants, finance preparation of a handbook on the project"s environmental impact, and support seminars, workshops, site visits, and special courses for local personnel.