Chapter 2: Introduction to Planning for

Agroforestry
In this chapter step, will help line out the inputs needed over
time in order to keep the agroforestry practice
• Developing a Plan for a meaningful and productive component of the
Agroforestry farm system for years to come.
• Identifying Land Uses, Resources,
Goals and Market Opportunities
Steps to Developing an
Agroforestry Plan
Developing a plan may seem tedious at the be- Personal Assessment
ginning, but the long term benefits far outweigh
Step 1: Initial Objectives and Priorities
the difficulties of plan creation. By having a Step 2: Evaluate Personal Resources
plan, landowners can better envision how to Biophysical Site Assessment
successfully integrate an Agroforestry Practice Step 3: Identify Current Land Uses
to their farm. And, the planning process will Step 4: Map Area(s) for Agroforestry Development
also help develop a familiarity with the man- Step 5: Climate Assessment
agement that is required in order to reach the Step 6: Soil Assessment
goals, objectives, benefits and economics that Step 7: Physical Features (Terrain)
are desired. The best way to ensure success is Step 8: Timber and Non-Timber Forest Crop
by thoughtful and honest planning. Inventory
Agroforestry Development Ideas
Step 9: Agroforestry Ideas – Brainstorming
A Plan for Integrating Step 10: Listing ‘Best Bets’
Agroforestry on the Farm Evaluating the ‘Best Bets’ in the
Context of the Industry
Why plan? The development of a plan for
integrating agroforestry practices to the farm Step 11: SWOT Analysis
Step 12: Porter Five Forces Model
system is as important as the actual establish-
Step 13: Revising your ‘Best Bets’
ment of the practice itself. Planning -- and the
Marketing Strategy for ‘Best Bets’
development of a timeline -- will help maximize
Step 14: Select and Describe Target Market(s)
the chances for the success of the agroforestry Step 15: Adding Value to Products
practice. Planning will not only assist in under- Step 16: Getting Products to the Buyer
standing how the practice and its placement on Step 17: Setting the Price
the landscape can accomplish specific on farm Step 18: Promoting Your Products
goals, but will provide assistance in identifying Agroforestry Practice Design and Management
market opportunities for products that may be Step 19: Revisit Your Objectives and Priorities
grown in the practice. Remember: Diagnosis Step 20: Detailed ‘Best Bets’ Crop Information
precedes treatment. Step 21: Designing Your Agroforestry Practices
The Agroforestry Development Plan
The culmination of the planning process is the Step 22: A Five-Year Management Projection
development of a 5-year management and ac- Step 23: Yearly Activity Schedule
tivities schedule. This final, yet very important

16 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

Coupled with the Workbook (See Appendix Sec- In addition to identifying available resources,
tion 5: Planning for Agroforestry Workbook), site conditions and marketable plants, filling
these steps are designed to help guide you in the Workbook forms will help you explore
through the various stages of creating a plan for and articulate your values and attitudes. Every
your agroforestry development area(s), and will landowner will have different personal and pro-
assist you in gathering information on: duction goals for an agroforestry development,
and your plan for your land will be different
• Your objectives and priorities from someone across the country, State, or even
• Personal resources (e.g., labor, equipment, across the road. To accommodate these differ-
buildings, animals, plants) ences, this guide is not based on a single set of
• Climate, soil conditions and physical features goals. Instead, it has been developed to provide
• Current land use a set of tools that you can use to make informed
• Land available to practice agroforestry decisions in creating a profitable agroforestry
• A non-timber plant inventory (for woodland business.
only)
• Market conditions for potential products An agroforestry development plan is based on
the capability of your land, your personal goals,
Together with chapters three to 10 of this your business goals, and your land steward-
manual and the tree/shrub/grass/forage infor- ship objectives. These goals and objectives will
mation provided in the appendices, the steps be re-assessed and changed as you obtain new
provided in this workbook will allow you to information during the planning and initiation
identify what agroforestry products can grow on of an agroforestry development. Agroforestry
your land, which of these products you can sell practices are always changing, and understand-
profitably, and how to develop basic business ing and working with change will help you best
and marketing strategies. The final steps are a achieve your goals.
five-year development plan and yearly activity
schedule, outlining the work you plan to do to There are many sources of information and
establish your agroforestry development(s). The advice available to assist you with your
time you put into researching, preparing and fol- agroforestry development. Since agroforestry
lowing your plan is an investment in your future practices often involve various fields (e.g., for-
agroforestry success. estry, agronomy, animal husbandry, horticulture,
soil science, marketing) you may have to aug-
The steps presented in the following pages—de- ment your personal knowledge. Sources listed at
signed to guide you in creating an agroforestry the end of each chapter in the training manual
plan—are often inter-related, and information are designed to guide you.
gathered in one step will likely impact informa-
tion gathered in other steps. For this reason, the
creation of your plan will likely require you to How to Proceed
revisit (and expand) each step as you learn more You’ll find a pull-out Workbook in Appendix 5.
and develop new ideas. The Workbook forms can be photocopied as
needed. The information, tools and links you
Note: The succession of steps has been orga- need to complete the plan are found in chapters
nized to help you develop your plan logically. that follow (chapters 3 to 10).
You need not complete each step in the order
they are presented. You may prefer to gather It is recommended that you read through these
information in a way that best suits your circum- steps before you begin to write down informa-
stances. tion in the corresponding chapters of the Work-
book.

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 17

Note: Depending on the size of your property, Step 2: Evaluate Personal Resources
you may have one or more areas on which you In addition to your land base, your agroforestry
want to develop agroforestry practices. Planning development will require the input of other per-
will be easier if you prepare separate forms for sonal resources. An evaluation of the resources
each separate development area, especially if available to you will help determine which
potential agroforestry development areas have agroforestry options are best suited to your
different site conditions and current uses. operation. An evaluation should include:

Step 1: Initial Objectives and Management and labor availability – Periods

Priorities during which you are not busy (between or after
Landowners exploring multiple uses for their harvests) and the periods during which labor
property face many preliminary decisions. Not and management time will be committed to
least, if you have a number of different objec- other activities.
tives for an area, some may seem to be in con-
flict. The choices each landowner makes reflect Equipment and buildings – Buildings and equip-
a set of individual values and attitudes. Your ment, including machines and hand tools, that
personal and business goals become the criteria can be used for this development.
for assessing the different possibilities for your
land. Livestock – Your operation may already have
cattle, sheep or other animals.
Your land management objectives and priori-
ties will be specific to your circumstances and Plant material – Your own sources of seed, seed-
the area you want to develop for agroforestry. lings, cuttings and larger trees.
However, among other possibilities, you may
want to: Other materials – Resources such as sawdust or
• Develop a new source of income from unpro- shavings, manure and straw for mulch.
ductive land (diversification)
• Reduce costs of an existing farm or forest List these personal resources, as well as any-
operation thing else that you consider of importance, in
• Develop a source of long-term income the table provided in the Workbook.
• Develop a source of short-term income while
awaiting long-term income from timber Step 3: Identify Current Land Uses
• Reduce property taxes List the present uses of each area of your land
• Protect or improve environmental conditions and the products you harvest, and record them
• Increase grazing opportunities in your Workbook. These uses could include:

Turn to the Planning for Agroforestry Work- Residential

book: Appendix 5 and complete the table of Recreational
initial objectives and priorities. Remember that Farming (which crops)
these initial objectives may change as you learn Grazing (type of livestock)
more about your land and your agroforestry Timber production
business. After you finish this assessment, you Non-timber production
will be able to weigh your objectives against Environmental use
what you can actually produce on each area of
your land.

18 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

Step 4: Map Area(s) for Agroforestry walnut trees requires a different level of site as-
Development sessment than the planting of a shallow-rooted
annual crop. Even if you plan to begin small, with
An agroforestry development may include all of
a few tree seedlings on a fence line and a small
your land or only specific areas, such as exist-
planting of medicinal herbs, you should still as-
ing woodlands, open field, logged-over area or
sess the limitations and potential of your land.
riparian zone. In either case, identifying objec-
tives and making decisions will be much easier if
The information provided here, and the accom-
you break your land into separate development
panying form in the Workbook, provides a basic
areas with similar current uses and site condi-
site assessment. More detailed assessments
tions (such as soil, moisture and existing plants).
require added time, equipment and expertise.
Steps in the Workbook, including the sketch
They are only worth doing if it will help with a
map, should be completed for each separate
critical aspect of your agroforestry development.
development area. Pages of the Workbook can
For most developments, they are not necessary.
be copied for this purpose.

For each agroforestry development area, you Step 5: Climate Assessment

should: Climate on your site ultimately determines what
- Draw a sketch map of the area you are target- you can grow on your land. Combining this data
ing for agroforestry development. Using the leg- with the information provided in Appendices 2
end provided in the Workbook, indicate bound- and 3 will establish the range of possibilities for
ary lines, main geographic features, houses, your agroforestry practice.
other buildings and roads.
Hardiness Zone - The US Department of Agri-
- Identify and measure the area approximately,
culture Plant Hardiness Zone Map has mapped
marking these measurements on the sketch.
plant hardiness zones for the entire country. You
This will help determine planting requirements
can find the Plant Hardiness Zone Map for dif-
and potential crop production.
ferent regions of the USA at the USDA National
There is some overlap between Step 3 and Step
Arboretum website: http://www.usna.usda.
4, since you will indicate these uses on your
gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
sketch map. Step 3 gives an opportunity to pro-
vide information on land use in greater detail,
To locate a Plant Hardiness Zone Map specific to
and by thinking about land uses, you may decide
your State go to the following website and click
to modify your sketch map.
on your State: http://www.growit.com/bin/US-
DAZoneMaps.exe?MyState=MO
Why Assess Your Land?
Assess climate, soil and physical features on These zones rate the conditions affecting win-
each site on which you intend to develop an ter survival of plants. The primary factor is the
agroforestry practice. These assessments will minimum (coldest) winter temperature, with
allow you to determine: some consideration for the number of frost-free
• Which plants you can successfully grow on days, summer rainfall, maximum temperatures,
each site snow cover and wind.
• Limitations to planting and growing these
plants Most information sources, and suppliers of seeds
• The most effective management practices and plants, list the minimum hardiness zone for
particular plants. Plant breeding programs have
Assessments can be as detailed as you want, or resulted in cultivars or selections of many plants
as required by the project. The introduction of that differ in hardiness from their parent (check
long-term or special-needs crops such as black this carefully to prevent a costly error).

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 19

In some cases, the hardiness zone mapping is The classes are ranked from I (highest) to VIII
only an approximate guide for local conditions. (lowest), but the capability subclasses refer
Enter hardiness zone information in the table to soil groups within a class. Classes I - IV are
provided in the Workbook. Additional informa- considered capable of the sustained production
tion you may find, such as frost-free days and of common field crops. Crop species become
date of soil thaw, should also be included in the limiting as the land capability declines from
table. Class I to Class IV. Class V lands are only capable
of producing perennial forage crops or specially
Soil Information Sources adapted crops. Class VI lands are capable of
providing sustained pasture. Class VII land are
Information about various versions of a incapable of either arable culture or grazing.
soil survey can be obtained one of three
Capability Subclasses include: (e) runoff and
ways: erosion; (w) wetness; and (s) root zone or tillage
problems - shallow, droughty or stony.
• By checking the list of published surveys on
the soils web site of the USDA List the climatic, capability rating and limiting
• By contacting the appropriate state office of factors for your site, as well as any other in-
the NRCS formation you believe might be useful, in your
• By contacting the appropriate local office of Workbook.
the NRCS
Soils are an extremely important feature of
Note: Additional information about Mis- your land base because they are the material in
souri soils can be found at the Missouri which the plants of your agroforestry practice
Cooperative Soil Survey web site at will grow. Soil survey publications represent a
(http://soils.missouri.edu). snapshot in time. They contain information that
was current as of the indicated publication date.
The text, tables and soil maps may have been
Step 6: Soil Assessment updated since publication. The most up-to-date
Land Capability Classification - The Land information is available on the NRCS Web Soil
Capability Classification shows, in a general way, Survey (http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/
the suitability of soils for most kinds of agricul- app/) or the Soil Data Mart online at (http://
tural land use or field crops. The soils are soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/).
grouped according to their limitations for field
crops, the risk of damage if they are used for Read about the soils (formation of soils), look at
crops, and the way they respond to manage- a soils map, then examine your soils. One way
ment. There are two principle categories in this to gain an understanding of your soil is to dig
classification system, the Capability Class and several soil pits at least 18" deep, and examine
Capability Subclass. your soils for several important features. How-
ever, soils are landform dependent, and samples
The Land Capability Classification identifies the taken should represent different landforms and
potential of local areas for agricultural produc- positions on those landforms. It is recommend-
tion. County Soil Surveys contain the Land Ca- ed to dig one or two pits per acre, and more if
pability Classification for all soils in your county. the area/landform is not uniform. For more de-
The County Soil Surveys also provide useful tail on soil assessment, see Additional Resources
climate information. at the end of this chapter.

20 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

Important note: If you are planning to practice Note and record in your Workbook the approxi-
agroforestry on a woodland area, plan to do a mate percentage of rock fragments in the soil
plant inventory. Since this requires setting up (stoniness), and depth and type of any restrict-
survey plots in a grid system, you probably want ing layers. Show their extent on the sketch map.
to do your soil assessments at the same time as
your plant inventory. Soil Moisture
Soil moisture, which is key to the establishment
Soil Texture and Composition and growth of plants, is closely linked to soil tex-
Mineral soils are particles of rock or minerals ture. The spaces (pores) between soil particles
produced from rock by weathering and other hold water and air needed by plants for good
geological processes. Soil textures are grouped growth. Generally, coarser soils are well-drained
into the three particle sizes shown in the table and are often dry for longer periods, while soils
below. Sands and gravel are the largest particles, with finer textures hold more water and are
while clay and silt soils contain the smallest likely to remain moist longer. Other factors,
particles. The finer textured soils hold more such as ground water level or the presence of an
water and dry out more slowly. Organic soil impermeable layer that restricts drainage, also
layers or horizons are derived from decaying determine soil moisture.
vegetation, usually in a thin layer above mineral
soils. Where found in a sizable layer, they tend to As you dig your pit, is the soil dusty and dry?
retain both water and nutrients. Does water seep into the bottom of the hole?
Often, the time of year and recent weather will
In your Workbook list the soil type(s) found in influence soil moisture.
each of your agroforestry development areas,
and map the locations if there is more than one High Water Table, Standing Water or Flooding
type. Areas such as wetlands and parts of riparian
zones which remain fully saturated for extended
Soil Depth periods of time are of special concern. These ar-
Soil depth determines the rooting capability of eas are sensitive to access development and ma-
the plants you may wish to grow. In particular, chine use, and are important for wildlife habitat
forest soils can be quite shallow, requiring extra and other environmental values. You will need
care in management. You will notice distinct lay- to identify these areas of your land and plan to
ers as you dig down and you may come across use especially careful management. Access may
restricting layers such as: 1) stones and rock be limited for all or part of the year.
outcrops that can interfere with digging and cul-
tivation, and can reduce the nutrient and water- In your Workbook and on your sketch map,
holding capacity of the soil. Rock outcroppings it is important to note any: wetland features,
are areas with very little soil; and 2) hardpan, evidence of flooding, areas that experience
a hardened layer below the surface of the soil overland flows or standing water during spring
that can prevent penetration of water and roots. runoff, and areas with continual seepage or high
Additional soil features that may be problematic water table.
include: fragipans, claypans, abrupt textural
changes and general discontinuity. Deep-rooted Both very wet or dry conditions pose challenges
plants such as alfalfa or black walnut will be for planting and management. However, some
severely impacted by hardpan. Neighbors and plants are particularly adapted to one or the oth-
previous landowners may know if there is a er of these extremes (see Appendices 2 & 3 for
hardpan, but you may have to dig several holes a listing of suitable plants). Note the moisture
to determine the extent. conditions of various portions of your proposed
development area on both your sketch map and
in your Workbook.

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 21

Nutrients plants. Sloped or bench land that has good air
The availability of nutrients in the soil affects drainage is a better choice.
the quantity and quality of products produced.
You can undertake a soil test to determine the Enter your observations of the physical features
soil pH (acid/alkaline balance), specific nutrient mentioned above in your Workbook and on your
levels, and recommendations for various crops. sketch map.
Tissue analysis is also an effective way (pre-
ferred in forest soils) to determine nutritional Step 8: Timber and Non-Timber
status of existing trees and plants. Although
Forest Crop Inventory
there are soil sampling field kits, soil and tis-
If you want to practice agroforestry in woodland
sue samples are usually sent to a laboratory for
areas, this chapter will help you inventory the
analysis and interpretation. In your Workbook
variety of plants growing on your land—every-
note the status of soil nutrients that you have
thing from trees to herbs on the forest floor. The
determined and attach any lab reports.
inventory of trees described here is restricted to
their potential production of non-timber prod-
Step 7: Physical Features (Terrain) ucts (e.g., medicinals, florals) and their interac-
The physical features outlined in Step 7 are tions with other plants (e.g., shade, moisture,
closely related to – but also different from – the nutrients). A non-timber vegetation inventory
soil characteristics described in Step 6. For can be used to help create a list of ‘best bets’—
ease-of-use, physical features are described plants that can be successfully grown on your
separately from soil characteristics. However, land, and will also help you decide how to man-
the information you generate through each step age your woodland efficiently and productively
is entered into the same table in the Workbook. (i.e., managing competition for sun, water and
This allows you to easily see the relationships nutrients). There is literature available else-
between physical features and soil characteris- where on timber inventory methods (see Addi-
tics. There are several physical features that can tional Resources).
influence your capability to produce particular
crops on a site. If you own more than a few acres of land, you
should sample your land base, using inventory
Aspect refers to the direction toward which plots to obtain a ‘best approximation’ of the
the site slopes (if any). South and southwest- vegetation. Sampling is an excellent compro-
facing slopes are usually warmer and drier than mise between doing nothing (and having a very
those facing north, and naturally support dif- limited picture of your land) and trying to do the
ferent plant communities. Terrain relief refers impossible: counting every tree, shrub and herb
to whether the site is steep, flat, sloped, rolling, on your property.
gullied or broken (steep slopes between bench-
es). This will influence access and machine A. Preparing Your Inventory
capability, water management, cold air drainage, An inventory should give you a timely snapshot
and other microclimate factors. Frost pockets of your land; it should not take too long, nor
are one additional feature to consider. Cold should it be too difficult. Inventory plots are
air flows downhill and pools in low areas. The the sites where you record information about
resulting localized frosts can damage delicate vegetation and other features on your land. They
flowers and shoots that start to grow early in form a pre-determined portion (or percentage)
the spring. Even crop plants correctly chosen for of the larger area you’re interested in sampling.
your hardiness zone can be affected. Assess low Multiplying your plot data by the number of
areas on your land for potential frost pockets— plots that would fit in the larger area will give an
the absence of native berry plants can be a good estimate of what you would find if you actually
indicator. Avoid these areas for frost-sensitive measured everything. Size of inventory plots

22 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

depends on what you’re trying to survey and dices 2 and 3. It is also important to remember
the vegetation cover on the plot. In your forest that you should contact buyers before you
vegetation survey, you will actually take two harvest, so that you can harvest to the correct
separate surveys from the same plot center. This specifications.
is because you need to collect information about
two very different types of vegetation: Trees; Tree Inventory
shrubs and other smaller plants. The tree inventory described here is only in-
tended to determine the non-timber resources
Plot cruises can be used to estimate the number available (e.g., boughs, vines, bark, burls).
of plants in a forest by species, diameter, height,
form class and grade. All fixed plot cruises have Number of trees and species. Record the num-
statistical sampling error which is important ber of trees of each species found at the plot.
to know and understand before relying on the This will assist in determining what non-timber
data. A plot cruise simply consists of counting products can be obtained, and what plants can
and classifying all trees or plants species in a be grown under the canopy.
series of circular sample plots. Circular plots are
usually 1/10-acre in size (37.2 feet radius). The Tree age. This is optional, but can be useful to
plots are evenly spaced throughout the stand know. An increment borer is easy to use and will
to provide an equal sampling of all forest types not harm the trees. Record the age of one or two
across all topographic changes average trees per plot.

B. Doing Your Inventory Tree height. This is also optional, and only re-
Locating your plots in the field. Following a ally useful for a timber inventory. Details on cal-
compass line is a vital skill when conducting culating height can be found in the guide “Con-
your vegetation inventory. It is beyond the scope ducting a Simple Timber Inventory,” https://
of this training manual to review compass work uextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Docu-
in detail but there are a couple of points to re- ments/PB1780.pdf
member:
- The right compass for the job. Ideally, you Condition of trees. Helpful in determining
should have a ‘ranger’ type with a mirror in the whether marketable non-timber products can
lid, gunsight sighting, liquid dampened needle, be harvested. Also helpful in assessing the pos-
and an adjustment for setting declination. sible function as a windbreak.
- Staying on track. With a little practice, staying
on your traverse line is not difficult. Hold the Crown closure. The degree of canopy closure
compass level, line up the arrow in the mirror will determine the conditions for raising or en-
face, sight on the farthest object you can pick hancing shade-loving species in the understory
out through the gunsight (e.g., recognizable tree,
rock, stump), and walk toward it. When you Non-tree Inventory
reach that landmark, sight again and find a new Begin your inventory by identifying and listing
object to focus on. all the harvestable non-tree species found in the
plot on your plot sheet. Include plants that pro-
Obtain a good guidebook to the plants of your vide good browse if you intend to graze the area.
area. Remember that quality can have a big
impact on the prices you receive for non-timber For each species, record the following:
forest products. That means you will have to Total number of plants for each species.
make judgment calls when doing your inventory. Where possible/feasible, count the number of
Information on product specifications—includ- individual plants of each species found in the
ing acceptable quality—can be found in Appen- plot. This will be easier on an open forest floor

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 23

than it will be on dense sites. You may choose Once you know the approximate number of
to record sites like the latter simply as ‘dense plants of a given species per are you have a fairly
coverage.’ This is one of those instances where good idea of the plant resources you have on
judgment calls come in. Even an approximate your land. Record the information in the tables
number could be useful in developing a harvest- provided in the Workbook.
ing plan.
Step 9: Agroforestry Development
Estimate of the percentage cover for each
Ideas – Brainstorming
species. How much of the plot do you think the
After reading the chapters 3 through 10 in this
species covers? Provide an estimate to the clos-
training manual, you will probably come up with
est 10%.
some ideas for agroforestry developments on
your property. Once you have done this, it is time
Proportion of harvestable vs. non-harvest-
to engage in some brainstorming. In addition,
able individuals. The aim here is estimate
check out the appendices 2 (Trees and Shrubs
the amount of harvestable individuals for each
for Agroforestry) and 3 (Grasses and Forages for
species (none, 20%, 50%). Your decisions will
Agroforestry) to develop additional ideas.
be based on factors such as size, color, and insect
or other damage. If many of the plants are not
Brainstorming is the process of putting ideas
harvestable in their current condition, cultural
down on paper as they come into your head. List
practices such as fertilization and pruning may
them all and don’t try to self-censor the ideas.
be available that would improve product quan-
You can reduce this list to ‘best bets’ later. Input
tity and quality.
from family and friends, as well as ideas from
neighboring landowners, can help generate
C. Using Your Inventory
useful ideas. This is also a point at which expert
First, make sure all areas inventoried are
advice may expand the list of possibilities. For
marked on your map(s). Next, you need to take
additional assistance consult the Additional
the raw data from your inventory (plot sheets),
Resources that are listed at the end of every
compile it, and present it in a useful format. That
chapter.
means taking the information from your sample
plots and organizing the information so it repre-
For each development area, sort the list by prac-
sents your entire development area.
tice and record this information in your Work-
book. In general, more intensive agroforestry
Trees and/or Other Resources per acre
practices (e.g., forest farming) are suited for
Among your survey information, you have
smaller units of land, while the more extensive
recorded the number of each plant species that
practices (e.g., silvopasture) are suited to larger
appears in each inventory plot. Now you want to
units of land.
convert that number into the number of plants
per acre. This is done using the plots per acre
factor. The plot information is then extrapolated Step 10: Listing ‘Best Bets’
to one acre and then multiplied by the total The intent of this short but important step is
acres. For example, if you counted ten individual to create a list of potential crops that can be
witch hazel shrubs in your plot cruise grown on your land. This list of ‘best bets’ will
One plot on 1-acre: be based on the information you have gathered
Plot size 1/10-acre so far—including land and personal resources,
Plot radius (feet) 37.2 site conditions and current land use—combined
Average trillium plants /plot 8 with the plant information provided in Appendi-
Factor to 1-acre, multiply times 10 ces 2 and 3.
Total estimated witch hazel per acre = 80

24 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

Perhaps the easiest way to approach this list is etation inventory and brainstormed ideas of
by first determining what plants can grow under agroforestry practices, you can use that infor-
the climatic, soil and physical conditions that mation to identify Strengths and Weaknesses,
occur in each of your agroforestry development Opportunities and Threats or a SWOT analysis
areas. Plants you already cultivate on your land, for the crops you think may produce. This can
plants revealed by your non-timber inventory, be helpful in defining and clarifying the issues
and crop ideas you have developed while gather- you need to address in the rest of the planning
ing information, will all form part of this list. process.

You can add substantially to the list by looking As detailed in Chapter 9, Marketing Principles,
at Appendices 2 and 3 to see what other plants in identifying strengths and weaknesses, you
can be successfully grown on your site, and what will be focusing on factors that are internal to
products can be made from them. You want this your business. Opportunities and threats refer
list to be as extensive as possible, so you can to the external environment of your business.
consider the widest possible range of options. The plan you will develop will be shaped by
both internal and external factors; it will build
Your list can be refined by considering the on your strengths and minimizing the impacts
resources at your disposal (e.g., labor, buildings, of your weaknesses while in the same time be
equipment) at different times of the year. These responsive to the opportunities and threats your
factors will limit the crops and crop combina- environment offers.
tions you can grow. Finally, you can further
refine your list by revisiting the objectives you In the SWOT Analysis worksheet, summarize
have for your land, such as income diversifica- the internal strengths and weaknesses and the
tion, reduction of land taxes or environmental external opportunities and threats for your
protection. business as you identify them today. Consider all
aspects: natural, physical and human resources,
The list of ‘best bets’ you make in this part of marketing, operations, and finances.
your Workbook should include all the plants
that can grow on your land, and the products Step 12: Porter Five Forces Model
that can be derived. Make sure you include tim- The Five Forces Model (developed by Dr. Michael
ber products that can be made from trees you Porter of Harvard University) serves as a good
would plant as part of an agroforestry develop- framework for assessing different industries
ment. If you have done a timber inventory—in you would like to get in. The Five Forces Model
addition to the non-timber vegetation inventory identifies coordination and control aspects of
list those possible timber products as well. an industry and provides a guideline for under-
standing the resources and relationships needed
Along with Chapter 10 of the Training Manual, to be successful in a market. The model is pre-
the following steps will help you develop a sented in more detail in Chapter 9 – Marketing
marketing strategy, or marketing plan. Each step Principles. Using the information and examples
contains directions needed to complete corre- provided in Chapter 9, use the following ideas to
sponding sections in your Workbook. You should evaluate the chosen crops in the context of the
note that every part of every step might not ap- industry:
ply to your situation.
Identify Barriers to Entry
Identify suppliers/Bargaining power of
Step 11: SWOT Analysis suppliers
Having analyzed the current situation of your
Identifying Buyers/ Bargaining power of buyers
farm with respect to objectives and priorities,
Identify substitutes
personal resources, site assessment and veg-

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 25

Identify competitors and their competitive ad- Your first task in building a customer strategy is
vantages to identify your target market. Target markets
are most commonly characterized as either
Step 13: Revising Your ‘Best Bets’ individual households or businesses. Begin your
In Step 11 you identified the plants that can target market research by developing a cus-
grow on your land, and which you can produce tomer profile. Customer profiles can help you
with the resources you have available. determine if a market segment is large enough
to be profitable. Break your target market up
After a thorough analysis using the SWOT Analy- into segments based on differences in their
sis and Porter Five Forces Model, the list of ‘best geographic location, demographic characteris-
bets’ can be refined to include those plants and tics, social class, personality, buying behavior or
products you think have the best market poten- benefits sought.
tial. When selecting a list of marketable ‘best
bets,’ consider: Example:
Product: Elderberry jelly
• How difficult is to enter the market?
Customer segments:
• Is the required supply available? 1. Farmers markets customers
• Are there buyers nearby? Geographic: Local area
• What is the demand for the crop, relative to Demographic: Mostly female, mid-age, moderate
supply? to high household income
• How does harvesting and selling these crops Psychographic: Support for local agriculture,
fit in with the rest of your production system? health conscious
For example, will the crop(s) require big in- Needs/Preferences: Prefer locally produced
puts of labor during an already busy period? food, fresh food, convenience
• Is investment of resources (labor and capital) 2. Online customers
likely to provide an adequate return? Geographic: Nation-wide (USA)
• How does that return compare to other pos- Demographic: Younger, moderate to high house-
sible crop/product options? hold income, high level of education
• Where possible, use your vegetation inventory Psychographic: Price sensitive
information to list the approximate volumes Needs/Preferences: Like the comfort of shop-
of the crops you have for sale. For crops not ping from home
yet planted, you should estimate how much 3. Health food stores customers
you’ll be able to sell so you have an idea of Geographic: Regional area
how much to plant. Demographic: Older, higher household income,
high level of education
Psychographic: Health conscious, less price
Step 14: Select and Describe Target sensitive
Needs/Preferences: Prefer healthy, high quality
Market(s) products
Refer to Chapter 9 – Marketing Principles to
develop the following steps (14 to 18). In these
steps you will be creating a marketing strategy. Step 15: Adding Value to Products
As you think about the products your business
Your marketing strategy is about defining your will offer, try to describe them in terms of the
customer or target market and tailoring your value they will bring to your customers. List all
product, pricing, distribution and promotion value added opportunities and identify “pros”
strategies to satisfy that target market. (how it will benefit the needs of each customer
segment) and “cons” (e.g., costs, risks) for each

26 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

of them. Identify also unique characteristics that tising tools and media. Consider also the costs of
will differentiate your product from competi- each promotion method.
tors. Define each product to address specific
needs for each market segment. Step 19: Re-visit Your Objectives and
Priorities
Step 16: Getting Products to the The first step in developing your agroforestry
Buyer plan was to outline your initial objectives and
Now that you have a customer and product in priorities for your land-based business. Since
mind, your next task is to identify how to move then, you have gathered considerable amounts
or distribute products from your farm to the of information that will likely change at least
customer’s house or store shelves. Distribution some of those original goals. Record your
strategies typically describe Location - Where revised objectives and priorities in the space
will you sell your product?; Distribution – Which provided in the Workbook.
sales channels will your product follow?; and
Transportation – How will your product reach Step 20: Detailed ‘Best Bets’ Crop
the buyer?
Information
To develop the most functional and profitable
Step 17: Setting the Price agroforestry practices, you should know as
In general, pricing strategies are based on two much as possible about each plant you intend
factors: prevailing market prices and your costs. to grow. You will have gathered much of this
In the long run, your price has to cover your full information while filling out your Workbook,
costs—including production, marketing and using your land assessment, plant inventory
promotion—as well as a return for your time (where appropriate), market research, Appen-
and investment. Try to identify prevailing mar- dices 2 and 3, and possibly your own additional
ket prices for similar products if they exist; learn research.
about what customers are willing to pay and
what prices your competitors charge. Also iden- Important information includes the biological
tify and document all your production, market- requirements of each plant, the agroforestry
ing and promotion costs. Decide how you want practices they can be grown in, what other
to price your product for each market segment. plants (and animals) they are compatible with,
Do you want to undermine the competition by labor requirements for harvesting, potential
offering a lower price? Can you set a high price volumes, value-added opportunities, and useful
that reflects your quality image or market de- market information.
mand? Are you simply looking to cover costs? Do
you have power to set a price? How sensitive is The table provided in the Workbook may in-
demand to price changes? Take all these aspects clude categories of information you do not have.
into consideration and try to establish a realistic You can exclude these or take extra time to find
price or price range for each product. the information. There is also extra space for ad-
ditional information you consider important but
Step 18: Promoting Your Products not specifically listed here.
Promotion is very important to gain product rec-
ognition among customers. Promotional strate- Step 21: Designing Your
gies often are built around a “message.” The Agroforestry Practices
message that you deliver about your product
Now is the time to arrange your plants into
or business is just as important as the product
agroforestry practices that best meet the man-
itself. Equally important is how and when you
agement objectives you outlined in Step 19. The
deliver that message through the use of adver-

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 27

information on each plant crop, and the man- practices. The specific tasks and timelines you
agement information provided earlier in this prepare will form the basis for your yearly activ-
chapter, will allow you to design and manage ity schedule.
agroforestry practices that best meet your objec-
tives. Fill in a table in the Workbook for each Don’t worry too much about getting absolutely
agroforestry practice you intend to develop. everything right on the first pass. Your plans
will change over time and you can go back and
Note: Remember that price and marketability adjust your projections accordingly. For now,
are not the only criteria for selection of the you are mainly interested in conceptualizing the
plants you will include in your agroforestry overall operation on paper.
practices. Some plants may be chosen because
they provide valuable ecological functions to The five-year management projection has four
your agroforestry practice, such as trees for sections:
shade and windbreaks, or legumes for nitrogen • Area: size of the area to be managed.
fixation. • Practice: agroforestry practice and its as-
sociated products.
Building an Agroforestry • Year: year that you want the management
activity to take place.
Development Plan • Management Objective: specific objective
The purpose of building an agroforestry devel- you hope to accomplish.
opment plan is to create a schedule of the work
that needs to be done in the years ahead in order Use the template provided in the Workbook to
to fully develop your agroforestry area(s). Your create your own five-year management projec-
completed Agroforestry Development Workplan tion.
will include specific tasks, timelines, and labor
projections for each agroforestry practice on a Step 23: Yearly Activity Schedule
year-by-year basis. You will need a Development The yearly activity schedule describes specific
Plan for each agroforestry development area. tasks that need to be done, when and by whom.
The Development Workplan is the final step in This is the document you will use to plan your
your Workbook, and will form the practical basis work schedule on a month-by-month basis. A
for your agroforestry development. You will no good yearly activity schedule will allow you to
doubt change and adapt your work projections identify potential time and business conflicts,
in the years ahead, but a good Development Plan and ensure you avoid overlapping seasonal ac-
will form a clear starting point and help focus tivities that could create shortages of labor and
your management efforts. resources.

The Development Plan includes two distinct

A yearly activity schedule—one for each
parts:
agroforestry practice—has five sections:
• A five-year plan outlining specific tasks for
• Crop Plant: the plants that you have decided
each agroforestry practice
you can grow and market.
• A yearly activity plan, broken down into spe-
• Management Objectives: a record of objec-
cific tasks for each month.
tives, transferred from your five-year projec-
tion.
Step 22: A Five-Year Management • Task and Time of Year: a list of specific tasks
Projection that must be accomplished to achieve each
Your five-year management projection is a objective, including timelines associated
schedule of the work you plan to undertake in with each task.
the next five years to develop your agroforestry • Materials: estimates of seed, seedlings, fertil-

28 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition

izer, fencing, animals, feed and other items A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms
necessary for corresponding tasks. and Rural Businesses. The information in the
• Labor and Equipment: a record of labor and Workbook will provide a good basis for a busi-
equipment needs (if any) for each of the ness plan that includes a comprehensive cash
specific tasks. flow projection.

Like the five-year management projection, your

yearly activity schedule will likely change as you
learn more. Remember to leave yourself plenty
of time to complete all the work. As landowners
well know, most tasks take longer than expected.
The yearly activity schedule will also be helpful
in costing the materials, labor and equipment
that are necessary for the cash flow projection of
your business plan. For details on business plan-
ning, refer to Building a Sustainable Business:

Additional Resources
Handbook for Agroforestry Planning and Design. University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry.
2013. www.centerforagroforestry.org

Conducting a Simple Timber Inventory, The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture,

https://uextension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB1780.pdf

Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Busi-
nesses. Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture. 2003.

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry 29

Notes

30 Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices – 2013 Edition