Supporting Small Forest Enterprises: A Facilitator’s Toolkit; Pocket Guidance Not Rocket Science!

Key points in document

• The toolkit contains sixteen modules or tools that are intended to provide guidance on support to small and medium forest enterprises (SMFE).
• The toolkit begins with guidance for setting up large international capacity building programs to support SMFEs. Then, the document advises on national-level planning and capacity building for SMFE projects. Last, the toolkit provides specific activities for successful facilitation of SMFEs.
• The toolkit provides case studies from around the world which highlight specific enterprises, conditions that either supported or detracted from their success, and best practices for facilitation of the activities outlined in the toolkit.
• The document provides guidance on how to develop the enabling conditions for SMFEs with a focus on technical skills and capacity and access to inputs and adequate infrastructure.

Information relevant to Learning Questions:

Are enabling conditions in place to support a sustainable enterprise?

• Stakeholder alignment, diversification
• Market demand, access to credit/capital
• Ownership, governance
• Government requirements, policies for enterprises, business alliances
• Financial management capacity, technical capacity
• Equipment, infrastructure
• Benefit sharing, targeted participants, biodiversity linkage, policies for and enforcement of resource use, planning for external disturbance

Does the enterprise lead to benefits to stakeholders?

• Increased income for participants
• Non-cash benefits

Do the benefits lead to positive changes in attitudes and behavior?

• Attitudes regarding sustainable use of resources
• Behaviors regarding sustainable use of resources

Does a change in stakeholders’ behaviors lead to a reduction to threats to biodiversity (or restoration)?

• Biological resource use
• Invasive and other problematic species and genes
• Pollution
• Climate change and severe weather

Does a reduction in threats (or restoration) lead to conservation?

• Forest ecosystems
• Species