Good practices for smallholder teak plantations: keys to success

Traditionally teak has been grown in government or enterprise-controlled large plantations, although
commonly applying agroforestry practices for the benefit of local people. However, experiences from
many countries show that smallholder farmers can become major suppliers of industrial teak wood
while at the same time improving their livelihoods. Countries such as India or Thailand, which fall
within the natural range of teak forests, tend to have more regulation and restrictions and fewer
national or local incentives for promoting teak in individual or communal teak plantations than does,
for instance, Ghana, where teak is grown as an exotic species. In South and Southeast Asia there are
already examples of how remaining constraints to smallholder teak management can be removed, but
new national and international efforts are needed to speed this development. Agroforestry offers a
valuable approach for smallholder-based teak production, but this potential is still restricted by
segregated perceptions on agriculture and forestry in policies, legislation and institutions.