Setting Research Priorities for Indigenous and Social Forestry in Zimbabwe

Abstract

SYNOPSIS The client base of the Research and Development Division of the Forestry Commission (the main forestry research institution in the country) has broadened from a few large exotic plantation owners to millions of rural communities who depend on indigenous forests for a variety of goods and services. Given resource limitations that have been worsened by the national economic structural adjustment and reform programmes, there is need to set forest research priorities. This is particularly critical in the hitherto neglected indigenous and social forestry area where no formal priority setting mechanism exits. This study identified and prioritised research areas and activities in indigenous and social forestry through a participatory approach that involved the key stakeholders using the scoring method. A total of eight research areas were identified and prioritised by five client organisations. The high priority areas were forest resource assessment, restoration of degraded sites/ecosystems, agroforestr...