BOOK REVIEWS:

Planting a Stronger Community

The Simple Act of Planting a Tree is the training manual written and used by the California-based not-for profit urban forestry group Treepeople. Each year, Treepeople trains hundreds of volunteers to be successful community developers. Written by Treepeople leaders Andy and Katie Lipkis, this comprehensive and conscientious manual is the culmination of four years of training experience that can be applied far beyond the California territory Treepeople now covers. Much of the information presented is valuable to those working in either tropical or temperate zones.

The Simple Act is about community development as well as about trees. It is about organizing, educating and motivating people. It is a "how-to" guide to planning and implementing a community event. Written for the California urban volunteer, this book is particularly valuable to members of the development set ready for a breather from development and technical jargon.

Does that sound appealing? There is more. Chapters include an overview of planting and caring for trees; How do you motivate your community? Where does the money come from? How do you pull off a successful tree planting? And the Million Tree Story (how to get Los Angeles residents to plant a million trees). The step-by-step Planting Project Workbook and the Tree Care Project Workbook contain specific notes that guide you through your project.

Treepeople is an enormously successful community development project and this book encapsulates the keys to its success. This California training manual and case study is a refreshing and readable guide for everyone who wants to make their community a better place.

Andy and Katie Lipkis, 1983. The Simple Act of Planting a Tree, Healing Your Neighborhood, Your City and Your World, A Citizen Forester's Guide. Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc. Los Angeles, CA.

Order from:

Treepeople
12601 Mulholland Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA.$12.95.


Agroforestry: The Costs & Benefits

Through the use of case studies, this book compiles and synthesizes key aspects of the costs and benefits of agroforestry. Serious students and practictioners of agroforestry ought to read this book, or have it on hand as a reference. For a non-economist, the reading can be thick and slow, yet the information is digestible even to minds untrained in deciphering summary tables, curves and equations. For economists, much of the book may seem rather pedestrian. The editors have in any case made an honest effort to organize and clearly present a wide range of perspectives on how to analyze the effectiveness of agroforestry programs and projects.

The more interesting and useful topics in the book are related to the methodology of financial and economic analyses of agroforestry. These include "What to Measure and Why?" and "Use of Experiment Station and On-Farm Trial Results" among several other methodological topics. Some readings are system-specific. For example, "Economic Evaluation of Cacao with Laurel and Poró in Costa Rica," and "Crop Losses Due to Growing of Eucalyptus on Field Bunds." The case study sites are varied, from Senegal to central Java, from the Ecuadorean Amazon to Haiti and Micronesia.

The text is complemented by a clear and concise glossary of economic and financial vocabulary, as well as a helpful list of resource persons and addresses around the globe.

Sullivan, Gregory M., S. M. Huke, J. M. Fox, eds. 1992. Financial and Economic Analyses of Agroforestry Systems. Workshop Proceedings.

Order from:

NFTA
P.O. Box 680
Waimanalo, HI 96795 USA. $12.


The Right Tree for the Right Purpose

Planning on planting some multipurpose trees? By definition the selection critera are increased when a tree is chosen for multiple uses. Growing Multipurpose Trees on Small Farms will help you select your species, and much more. Designed for extensionists to help them explain to farmers how to select, grow and manage trees for household use or for local markets, this set of eight training modules and 41 laminated species fact cards is a no-nonsense, easily accessible information package.

The training modules are illustrated and average length is about 15 pages, each has an introductory summary and a one-page list of highlights. The modules cover the gamut of considerations related to multipurpose trees (MPT's), such as: species selection, propagation, agroforestry uses, small plantations, tree care, harvesting, marketing, and the principles of effective extension.

The field-ready fact cards give a comprehensive summary of some of the more popular MPT's. They list tree origin, ecology, description, primary advantages and disadvantages, products and yields, propagation, seed treatment and management of agroforestry uses. The cards are all illustrated, which is a plus, although some of the drawings are almost too small to distinguish.

This publication benefited greatly from the input of organizations such as CARE, the International Centre for Research on Agroforestry, the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, the Nitrogen Fixing Tree Association and World Neighbors. Extensionists and field workers will benefit from this consolidated effort. A second edition will be available in late February 1994. This updated edition will include 17 additional species fact cards and will incorporate more feedback from extension workers.

Forestry/Fuelwood Research and Development Project. 1992. Growing Multipurpose Trees on Small Farms. Bangkok, Thailand: Winrock International. 95 pp.(including 58 species fact cards).

Order from:

Winrock International
1611 North Kent Street
Arlington, VA 22209, USA

or

Winrock International F/FRED
P.O. Box 1038
Kasertsart Post Office
Bangkok, Thailand 10903