Duration of the Project: April 2019 - March 2020
Project Site: Kibungan, Benguet Province, Philippines
Grant: AEON Environment Foundation, Japan
Person in Charge : Mhyra P. Seset
Introduction
Cordillera Green Network Inc. is been focusing with mostly of its project on agroforestry because of the benefits that it provides such as: limits the risk of encroaching of large-scale agriculture farmers into the forest. It is the source of food, woods for fuel increase biodiversity, improves soil fertility and one important use is for erosion control as well as to cope with the pressure provided by climate change. It also provides long and short term economic benefit for the farmers too.
Sagpat farmers or Sagpat Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (SFAC) members are practicing Agroforestry farming in a decade of years since CGN implemented Agroforestry project in 2006. Most of them planted forest trees like Alnus trees integrated with coffee trees as agricultural crops and these agroforestry products have becoming productive economically. But still, area for vegetable cultivation particularly Sayote plantation are spreading widely and the habitat for wildlife are threatened. And this made the SFAC members aware for the forest cover loss thus, some farmers plant coffee under sayote plantation and decided to propose for another year of Agroforestry project. By this, CGN encourage more farmers to expand their existing coffee farms, reforest denuded/barren land and engage in Agroforestry farm system in combination with organic farming.
With the help of AEON Environmental Foundation from Japan, the project “Development of Agroforestry Coffee-based Farm for Wildlife Conservation in Kibungan” was started in Sagpat, Kibungan, Benguet last May, 2019.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
1. Consultation and Orientation
The CGN management team done consultation on May, 2019 to the Municipal Mayor of Kibungan, MENRO Officer and MAO Officer regards of the implementation of the newly project. And on June 04, 2019, CGN Staffs conducted consultation and orientation of the proposed project to the 14 SFAC Members at Kalahi Building, Sagpat, Kibungan, Benguet. The consultation was done prior to the acceptance of the project by the SFAC, so Mr. Junifer Allan presented the objectives, importance, the activities and scheme of the project in the one-year duration. Responsibilities or counter parts of each team on the activities to be done like procurement of seedlings, tree planting, nursery establishment, biodiversity assessment, development of 1 ha. Model Agroforestry farm and the maintenance of the plantation site was discussed. And in behalf of the SFAC members Mr. Arnold Ampal, the Chairman accepted the project.
2. Plantation Site Assessment
On June 10 & 17, 2019 plantation site assessment was conducted to the proposed plantation for reforestation/ agro forestation and biodiversity assessment. Also, this assessment is prior to the suitability of the coffee seedlings and forest trees to be planted.
3. Biodiversity Assessment
a. Floral Diversity Assessment was conducted in the 12 Agroforestry Coffee-based farm in Sagpat (9 farms) and Poblacion (3 farms), Kibungan, Benguet. Only 11 Coffee farms are considered since these farms have denser Arabica coffee and forest trees (Alnus; Tibig; Benguet Pine; Kallas). It was conducted on June 24 – 29, 2019 by 15 Forestry students of Benguet State University with CGN staff. Using quadrant method, the groups established 20m x 10m plots where they gathered data on the shade and coffee trees and in the plot they made 1 transect line for the underground cover (weeds/grasses and vegetable crops). 10m long is the distance of each plot established and the groups made 2-3 plots for each plantation site.
b. Faunal (wildlife) diversity assessment was partially conducted by the students, unluckily no concrete data gathered for wildlife and bird species, the season and time of watching could be the reason.
４．Seedling procurement
The planting stocks used for the implementation of this project are 7,110 seedlings of Arabica Coffee (4,350 Mondonovo, 1,650 Tipica, 1,110 Bourbon) and 6,150 assorted forest trees (4,000 Tuai, 2,000 Alnus and 150 Mala-Tibig).
５. Tree Planting
The tree planting was started on the month of June,2019. The areas planted are land owned by the farmers, communal forest of Sagpat, school of Ewa-Bokes Elementary & Sagpat Elementary; 1 water shed in Sagpat. The seedlings were distributed evenly to the 22 farmers and 4 areas planted. With the cooperation and interest of all to conserve and protect the forest as well as the environment, 13,260 seedlings were able to plant in this planting season for the project by the SFAC members, Barangay LGU of Sagpat, BSU Forestry Practicum Students, some group of volunteers (English Academy Japanese Students) and community of Sagpat including elementary students.
It was on Arbor Day (June 25,2019) when the Barangay LGU of Sagpat, 15 BSU students and SFAC members planted 250 Mondonovo seedlings and 500 Tuai seedlings in Sagpat Communal forest and in the Sagpat Proper Watershed. And on July 26, 2019 the Faculties and Grade 5 & 6 students of Bokes Elementary School planted 350 Tuai seedlings in the water source area of the school. As for the Faculties and Grade 5 & 6 students of Sagpat Elementary School they planted 300 Tuai seedlings and 100 Mondonovo seedlings within their vicinity on July 27, 2019. Same date of schedule and area where the Tree Planting tour of the 9 English Academy Japanese students was conducted, they planted 100 Mondonovo seedlings with 6 CGN staffs and 4 SFAC members.
Series of tree planting was scheduled on the month of August-September,2019 by the SFAC members and some community volunteers to plant the 250 Mondonovo, 480 Tuai and 50 Mala-Tibig seedlings in the Communal forest and in the Sagpat Proper Watershed. While in the Lab-oyan’s Farm the SFAC members were able to plant the 700 Arabica coffee, 100 Mala-Tibig and 100 Alnus seedlings in 3 weeks as they agreed.
With the cooperation and interest of all to conserve and protect the forest as well as the environment, 13,260 seedlings were able to plant in this planting season for the project.
Tree planting activity was extended until September because of typhoons and South-west monsoons on the month of July and August, and accordingly to the weather forecast from the PAGASA rainy season is until the mid-October.
６. Monitoring of Planted Seedlings
Partial monitoring of planted seedlings on June was conducted on September 27, 2019 by the CGN Staff, 3 Forestry practicum students and 2 volunteers, to ensure if the seedlings were planted in its proper place. Coffee and Tuai seedlings are on the stage of establishing its self in their environment but most of them growing robustly.