Duration of the Project: July 2020 - June 2021
Project Site: Tuba, Benguet Province, Philippines
Person in Charge : Mhyra P. Seset
Partner Organization: Manalabo, Japan
Grants: Green Fund of The National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization
Introduction
To be able to survive and for health security towards the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic in people’s health and social life as well as to country’s economy, people are returning to their own provinces and make their own living there. They adapt the so-called new normal set of living and start a business, expand vegetable gardens and developed recreational areas. This lead again for the forest conservationist to be concern in the forest as well to the environment. Continuous forest land conversion activities along with heavy rainfall, climate change and other natural calamities would result to land deterioration, soil erosion and high level of surface water run-off. Thus, strategies on land conservation must be strongly promoted and introduced for adaption especially on farming. There are many farming systems and strategies that have been introduced appropriate to lessen the detrimental effects of agricultural activities such as maintaining vegetative ground cover, crop rotation, sustainable intensification, minimum tillage cultivation system and perennial crop cultivation system like Agroforestry system.
Adaption of Agroforestry system in the community provides a land-management system that increases production and ecological stability, as well as supporting sustainable development. Establishing Coffee-based Agroforestry need forest trees like Alnus to shade coffee trees but doesn’t require intensive tilling of the soil rather once established it provide soil protection and productivity, serves as refuge to some flora and fauna, carbon bank sequestration and could be source of sustainable livelihood for the farmers. And for some communities having small-scale farmers, Coffee-based Agroforestry is highly promoted to make their farms profitable and resilient from natural destructive agents. And to encourage farmers to be more responsible to the environment, a well balance management for production and protection in land use must be enhanced.
Promotion of Coffee-based Agroforestry System in Camp 3 and Camp 1, Tuba, Benguet for land conservation was implemented on July 2020 – June 2021 as community base project by MANALABO Japan – Cordillera Green Network Inc.(CGN) in partnership with Master of Organic Skilled Farmers Association Inc. (MOSFAI) through the support of Green Fund of the National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization Japan (funding agency).
Accomplishment
1. Tree Planting
2, 820 of Arabica seedlings were delivered in Torre, Camp 3 and Bastian, Camp 1, Tuba, Benguet from Kapi Tako Nursery on May 14 & 20 – June 10, 2021 and 1,000 coffee seedlings were donated in the agroforestation project of Shuju Green Network - CGN in Tadian on July 14,2021. 2000 Calliandra seedlings were procured from MOSFAI nursery on July, 2021 to complete the seedlings needed by the beneficiaries to plant. (No. of beneficiaries and seedlings were shown in Table 1).
Tree planting activity was started upon the distribution of the seedlings to the 14 beneficiaries from June – August, 2021. Each beneficiary prepared and planted the seedlings in their own land while the faculties of Torre Elementary School planted 50 pcs. of Arabica seedlings in the school backyard on June 25, 2021 as they joined the celebration of Arbor Day. The abandoned area of sitio Tinmagong was partially planted with 250 coffee seedlings and 200 Calliandra seedlings by MOSFAI members with some locals for soil protection and production purposes.
Meanwhile, the model Coffee-based Agroforestry was established in the area of Ms. Norma Gabol in Torre, Camp 3, Tuba and it is managed by the Gabol Family. The 1 ha. farm have mixed tree species of Alnus and indigenous trees serving as the shade of the 1000 planted coffee trees.
Summarizing it all, planted seedlings in 8 sitios of Camp 1 & Camp 3, Tuba are 7,003 Arabica coffee seedlings, 4,000 Calliandra and 1035 Alnus seedlings with a total of 12,038 seedlings planted from July 2020 – August 2021. Beneficiaries of this year’s project are 21 individuals/farmers, one primary school and two communal land.
2.Establishment of MOSFAI Coffee and Forest Tree Seedling Nursery
Construction materials and coffee seeds were given to MOSFAI organization for the establishment of seedling nursery on March 16, 2021. The nursery contained 5,000 Arabica seedlings and 5,000 forest tree seedlings (Alnus and Calliandra). Seedlings raised will be used for replanting the mortalities planted last year; expansion of coffee farms and for the enhancement tree planting activity in the community. Construction and nursery works were accomplished by the MOSFAI members with the supervision of the CGN staffs.
Having an established nursery in the community is an advantage in sustaining a green and healthy environment, it would ease the locals in procuring seedlings needed for tree planting activity, also if seedlings were raised by themselves they will be motivated to do more re-greening activity in the community. This may also serve as an income generating project for MOSFAI organization by selling seedlings to the needed neighboring areas or other agencies doing a reforestation projects.
3. Seminar
CGN conducted a seminar on “Coffee Production Management and Coffee Tree Maintenance” at El Durado Cooperative Building, Ligay, Camp 1, Tuba, Benguet on July 05, 2021. It was participated by 30 individuals mostly farmers from different sitios of Upper Camp 1 and members of MOSFAI, EL DURADO Cooperative and Camoeg Farmer’s Association. The seminar talked about the tips and lessons on Coffee nursery construction; Coffee tree establishment; Coffee Pests & Disease Control Management; and Importance of Coffee rejuvenation-pruning and capping.
It was For. Lily D. Jamias, an expert in coffee production and licensed Coffee Quality Grader who explicate well the topics and introduced the Coffee-based Agroforestry, its advantages to the environment and social – economic impact to the community and importance of enhancing reforestation activities in community which is threatened by human interventions (mining and vegetable gardening). She gave a fun fact about coffee to the participants which is, 80% of Coffee sweet taste is cultured by the coffee grower manually and also from its healthy environment while the rest of 20% is from the roastery. She further pointed out that achieving a sustainable coffee farm has no shortcuts it must have to undergo in the natural process of the plants to grow, anyway it provides a long term livelihood likewise in planting trees to the community its direct/indirect impact to the environment can’t be seen instantaneously but in gradual time.
As freshmen as they are in coffee farming they were able to gained enough knowledge on the proper techniques and good practices in managing coffee farms. They were taught that coffee can help in the developing of sustainable environment in a community. They were encouraged to adapt agroforestry system rather than monoculture/kaingin system and motivated to keep their forest protected as well as the abundant of forest resources.
4. Project Monitoring and Maintenance
Because of the immensely interests of the farmers to have coffee plantation, great numbers of coffee seedlings were distributed to them. Planting in the private land would guarantee a high survival rate of the planted seedlings because each beneficiary is obliged and responsible to maintain and protect the newly established farm.
Monitoring of coffee plantations, seedling nursery and the project site are smoothly going on by CGN staffs with the project proponents. The one-year-old planted seedlings are growing vigorously because of the favorable condition of its environment. Sites were maintained as it is needed for the protection of the seedlings against from forest fire and pest & diseases. And as for the improvement of the production of coffee, CGN purchased a 2 mini-chainsaw for MOSFAI and Bastian, Camp 1 for them to apply the coffee rejuvenation and pruning to maintain the old coffee trees and to improve the quality and quantity of coffee harvest.
Project Beneficiaries Insights
Beneficiaries in Camp 3 and Camp 1 appreciated and understand the essence of Agroforestry farming because of the current situation. During the pandemic they can’t trade their organic vegetable harvest in the market, they have difficulties earning high income as before. And for some who have coffee, they’ve been grateful because they have another source of income that help them for their children’s tuition fee and in purchasing materials in their farms. Others at least they help their neighbor by giving them a part time job in harvesting and processing the coffee. This made them realized that integration of trees and multiple agricultural crops would be profitable, there’s an alternative source of income. From this project, beneficiaries' knowledge on coffee production were enhanced and they learned that coffee has big potential as source of living and they look forward to learn more on producing a marketable quality of coffee.
