Understanding forest transition in the Philippines: main farm-level factors influencing smallholder

The ‘when, where and how’ of decisions by smallholder upland farmers
to plant trees as part of their use of natural, human and capital resources needs to be
understood if policy support is to result in actual recovery of tree cover as part of a
‘forest transition’ trajectory. In large parts of the Philippines the turning point may
be close. Data on resource access and tree planting decisions were gathered from a
household survey, with a total of 148 respondents in four rural communities in
Leyte Province in Central Philippines. Data were analysed using logistic regression
analysis. Household-level results reveal that the outcomes of the decision-making
processes primarily depend on the availability of land and access to remaining forest
resources rather than socio-cultural or economic factors. The total area of land and
number of parcels managed by the household plus security of land tenure through
ownership was found to have a statistically significant effect on farmers’ decision to
plant native timber trees. Access to surrounding natural forest is negatively associated
with farmer tree planting