Why farmers plant, or avoid, commercial trees on their land

What is shaping wood & timber

Wood, plywood, laminates and furniture are sold through a chain of influencers: carpenters, contractors, architects and dealers often decide the brand before the homeowner does.

• Carpenters and contractors heavily influence brand choice
• Dealers balance margins, credit and brand pull
• Sustainability and certified timber matter more to buyers

An environmental foundation, working in Punjab, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

An environmental foundation

Sector

Wood & timber

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Quantitative research, Offline data collection (CAPI), Government research

The foundation promoted agroforestry with poplar and eucalyptus but adoption varied widely. It needed to understand farmers’ concerns and what would encourage planting.

• Answer the core question: why farmers plant, or avoid, commercial trees on their land.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of farmers.
• Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.

The work focused on 1,000 farmers.

• farmers1,000

Audiences we typically reach in wood & timber

Carpenters and contractorsArchitects and interior designersDealers and distributorsHomeownersFurniture buyers

Coverage: Punjab, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh. Market: India.

• India

A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Farmer survey
3. 3Group discussions
4. 4Insight

We surveyed farmers about land use, tree planting experience, buyers and regulations, and held group discussions on risks such as price uncertainty and harvesting permits.

Quantitative researchOffline data collection (CAPI)Government research

farmers

1,000

• Respondents were selected across Punjab, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

discussions

12

• Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person on tablets (CAPI), with time and location recorded for every interview.
• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.

• Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
• Time and location checks on field interviews
• Supervisor accompaniment in the field
• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
• Significance testing on the differences that mattered
• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping

• Uncertainty about selling and transporting timber was the biggest barrier.

Long-cycle crops need long-term market confidence.

• Build on the core insight: long-cycle crops need long-term market confidence.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: uncertainty about selling and transporting timber was the biggest barrier.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The foundation worked with buyers on forward agreements and produced simple guidance on permits.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables
• Evaluation findings with programme recommendations

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: what makes a dealer push one brand over another?