Compiling Market and Other Financial Data on Smallholder Forestry in Leyte, the Philippines

Data collection and maintenance of databases concerning smallholder forestry presents special problems in developing countries. This paper examines forestry data collection experiences in a series of research projects in Leyte, Philippines, supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and the prospects for developing forestry accounting networks. A variety of financial data have been collected in relation to seedling production, plantation performance and timber marketing. Seedling production cost and revenue data have been obtained through snapshot surveys conducted in 2002 and 2008, and repeated attempts have been made to estimate financial returns from growing the most popular tree species. Diverse sources have been identified for timber market information. On the supply side, these include government records of registered plantations, obtaining inventory data from barangay (community) leaders, and reporting information about timber available for harvest on community notice boards. On the demand side, official records of registered timber merchants have been accessed, a detailed survey of timber processors has been conducted, and estimates are being made of apparent per capita timber consumption by district. Experiences in the Philippines reinforce that the potential for forestry accounting networks is limited by the resource-constrained situations of developing countries, placing greater reliance on one-off surveys. Use of pre-existing local networks and institutional structures offers potential for routine collection of forestry data, such as through barangay (village) leaders in the Philippines.