In May 2011, FSC International launched the Smallholder Support Program aimed at developing market access, training and financial mechanisms to community forests, territories of Aboriginal Peoples, small woodlots, and forests managed for low-intensity wood and non-timber forest products.
Leading the Smallholder Support process is a consensus-based Advisory Group, representing the social, environmental, and economic chambers of FSC’s global North and South. Orrin Quinn, of Ecotrust Canada and member of the FSC Canada Board of Directors (Social Chamber) will be the North American co-representative for the Advisory Group along with Ian Hanna, Director of Development at FSC US.
Over the next six months, the Advisory Group will work to develop a long-term strategy for increasing supply from smallholders around the world. Their objective will be to create an overall strategy that fosters collaboration, shared learning, and efficiency in FSC’s work with smallholders across the globe and, through increased uptake of certification, helps improves the social, economic, and environmental conditions of communities that manage and rely on their local forests.
For more information on the Smallholder Support Program, visit https://ic.fsc.org/smallholder-support.152.htm