Philippines

Programme Summary

The Philippines program has grown significantly in the past few months via the provision of seeds, intensive
agro forestry training, livestock management and the diversification of livestock to counter the need to purchase damaging and expensive chemical pesticides. The Philippine Government has unveiled a stimulus package which focuses on agriculture and aims to relocate the urban poor to mountains and hillsides where they will hopefully create a sustainable life for themselves and their families. The Government has assisted partnerrng organisations with land grants which are contingent upon the foresting of the land which they have been allotted.

Partners Network

- - 4KD - Loobbunga Forest Garden Pioneer Site - SKMQ Upland Farm Development
- Tanaman Foundation - Ramos Clan


Background

With a global recessions threatening to spiral out of control with massive job losses on a worldwide scale the situation in the Philippines is fast becoming a desperate one,with a dramatic effect on its people forcing them out of major cities due to mass unemployment to take refuge in squatter areas, with mass job losses and the transfer of technology work being lost to china and India who have a larger workforce and infrastructure to support it has rendered the Philippines desperate

Deforestation is fast becoming a major problem as many people are now trying to make a sustainable living in an unstustainable way, rendering the hillsides barren as people cut trees  for firewood and building material, while slash and burn farming is the generally accepted practice The lands cannot support the way in which crops are planted which is requiring the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides which wash into rivers and eventually the seas which is killing the reef systems with what is known as coral bleaching
.


The Response

Work has started at a grass root level with partnering organisations providing seeds and training on a variety of agro forestry and livestock management techniques to locals, Agricultural education is essential as teachings provide the knowledge of how to integrate a variety of species into their farms reducing the need for chemical pesticides and how to make organic fertilizers rather than having to spend the little money they have to buy the harmful chemical version. We have also incorporated Multi-Purpose Fast Growing (MPFG) trees into the equation which hold soils on barren hillsides and grow quickly creating a sustainable source of firewood. Many new fruit and vegetable species have been introduced as a way to provide a decent source of income as these ‘rare’ species command a premium at local markets.

Summer 2009 welcomed the planting season and work began out-planted seedlings to the various sites. Partnering organisations have been awarded land in many areas as they have successfully reforested the denuded hillsides around Mt. Pinatubo. They are now working to build their labour force by holding training sessions in nearby villages and getting volunteers to assist with the out-planting and creation of nurseries to keep up with the demand for reforestation in the degraded uplands. The project in the Philippines was spearheaded by partnering organisations who were allocated a project coordinator. Much work was undertaken to get seedlings in all of the nurseries out planted in the field as the rainy season has came a bit early for them during spring 2009. The plan is to build the relationship with working partners to enable the program to expand even more in 2010.


Program Update


The 2011 planting season was a busy one for partnering organization, as more than doubled the number of trees were planted from last year to this year achieving close to 200,000 seedlings. This was done despite the problems they had related to El Niño as they had a severe rainy season with several back to back typhoons followed by a dry season where almost 6 months went by with absolutely no rain.Forest guards were hired to protect planting sites from wildfires, as well as people to keep seedlings in nurseries watered which were both challenging with water sources drying up. Last years severe floods however brought the environmental problems to everyone in the town’s minds with more people joining in efforts to combat problems of deforestation. Many volunteers have attended training and information sessions and have also helped in creating new nurseries with outplanting activities. This and further assistance from the local government will certainly allow even more trees to be planted in the area