Axelle Boulay

Nationality:

Qualifications:

PhD programme:

Environmental Management and Development

Supervisor(s) and panel members:

Luca Tacconi ( The Crawford School of Economics and Government , ANU)
P.J. Kanowski (SRES, ANU)
C.T.S. Nair (FAO Rome)

Topic title and description:

Viability of tree growing by smallholder farmers in the tropics:

Increasing emphasis on participatory approaches along with changes in policies and legislation and rising demand for wood and wood products have enhanced the involvement of small farmers in managing forest and tree resources. A growing number of farmers and other smallholders are playing an important role in the management of woodlots and in several countries small farms managed under varied systems have become important sources of wood supplies. Traditionally, most of the wood produced from farms was being used primarily for subsistence consumption and only a small proportion was traded or used for processing. This situation is undergoing change and increasingly small farmers are taking advantage of market opportunities supplying wood raw material to industries or to cater to the growing urban demand.

Scholarships and Fellowships:

Scholarship for 3 years from The Crawford School of Economics and Government at ANU

Publications:

Nair, CTS and Boulay, Axelle. 2006. Forest related environmental issues in the West and Central Asia: problems and outlook. FOWECA thematic study report, FAO Forestry Department.

Boulay, Axelle. 2004. Facility National Forest programs digest, in three languages, of internet resource collected for thematic catalogues related to national forest programs, on line on the website of FAO.

Boulay, Axelle. 2004. Timber production in agroforestry systems with coffee in Costa Rica. Major Research Essay – Master of Forestry. ENGREF, Nancy, France.

Boulay, Axelle. 2003. The scenario method for forestry sector outlook studies. Honours thesis. ENGREF, Nancy, France. La demarche prospective forestiere

Conference Papers and Presentations:
“Globalisation, societal changes and the future of Mediterranean forests and forestry”, presented at the Forum on Mediterranean Forestry held in Rabat, Morocco, in November 2005

Employment history:

During the last few years, diverse experiences have enhanced my understanding of society – forests linkages. My assignment at the FAO Forestry Department was focused on different aspects of society and forest resource management. The following were some of the areas of my involvement in the work program of the FAO Forestry Department:

• Assessment of the economic viability of sustainable forest management in the tropics and contributing to the production of a publication on the topic.
• Analysis of forest related environmental issues in the context of the ongoing Forestry Outlook Study for West and Central Asia (FOWECA).
• Preparation of a paper on “Globalisation, societal changes and the future of Mediterranean forests and forestry” for presentation in the Rabat Forum in Morocco in November 2005.

As part of my MSc program at ENGREF, France, I undertook a study on small holder agroforestry in Costa Rica and assessed the potential economic benefits from agroforestry and how alternative cropping patterns involving trees help to enhance farm income. This involved intensive field work including household surveys and assessment of local markets and prices, opportunities for wood processing and the probable scenarios of wood market development. It resulted in an assessment of the dynamics of land use in response to changing opportunities and constraints faced by farmers.

Personal information

My broad area of interest is the changing relationship between society and forests. Within this, I am particularly interested in assessing the economic viability of sustainable forest management in the tropics, especially in relation to the role of small land holders. Given this background, I would like to pursue a Ph.D. program that integrates economic analysis with a consideration of policy and institutional issues as relevant to sustainable forest management. The objective of the research is to assess how tree growing could increase the income of small farmers and thus help to alleviate poverty. In addition to gaining an in-depth understanding of theoretical aspects of economic analysis, I would like to acquire more practical knowledge of issues relating to small land holder forestry through targeted field work, adapting and refining various tools and techniques.

Mailing address:

EMD Program, The Crawford School of Economics and Government
J.G Crawford Building, Building #13,
Ellery Crescent, The Australian National University,
Canberra ACT 0200, Australia