Afforestation and Agroforestry

CGN's activities are diverse, but the core of our ongoing program is tree planting. Together with community members, we plant trees in water sources at risk of being depleted due to forest fires, natural disasters, and excessive conversion to agricultural land.

CGN strongly encourages using indigenous tree species in its tree-planting activities. We also guide how to grow seedlings in the nursery so that community members can continue to care for the forests with their own hands after the project is completed.

We have also partnered with a company's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to work with farmers in Northern Luzon to plant 1 million trees yearly for 11 years until 2019.

 

CGN's Agroforestry Projects

The main cause of deforestation in the Cordillera is the conversion of forests into vegetable fields. Indigenous peoples have been burning down forests and converting them into highland vegetable fields for cash crops. CGN is teaching indigenous peoples the concept of agroforestry and how to practice it, thus providing indigenous peoples with a means of livelihood while protecting their forests and water.

 

In agroforestry, tree species that can be harvested and sold for cash are mixed with other forest species and planted in the same area. Some of the tree species whose harvest can be sold are various fruit trees, cacao, and coffee. Crops such as ginger, taro, and sweet potatoes can also be planted under the trees to generate income from a single combined site.

 

Arabica coffee is well suited for agroforestry in the Cordillera because it grows at high altitudes and needs shade to thrive. So CGN often recommends Arabica coffee for agroforestry projects in Cordillera communities, providing technical advice and seedlings.


Examples of afforestation and agroforestry projects that CGN has implemented

Building Disaster-Resilient Communities through Coffee Agroforestry Cultivation

 

Project site: Tublay, Benguet Province, Philippines

Duration of the projects: October 2010 - March 2020

Grant: Kanagawa International Foundation (2010-2012)

Partner organization: WE21 Japan, WE21 Kohoku and others

In charge: Lily Jamias

 

In the aftermath of Typhoon Pepeng in 2009, the municipality of Tublay, Benguet Province, was hit by a massive landslide. In the aftermath of the typhoon, the landslide destroyed many fields and homes, leaving many people in need. One of the most affected communities was Coroz.

 

The people of Coroz were working at a nearby mining site before the typhoon hit. However, the typhoon caused the mine to close, forcing those who worked there to find other ways to survive. After the typhoon, landslides and water shortages became more frequent.

 

CGN decided to launch a long-term rehabilitation project through coffee agroforestry in cooperation with WE21 Japan. CGN launched the project believing that coffee agroforestry would enable people to earn a living and improve the community environment. 

 

The project provided information on sustainable agricultural techniques such as coffee cultivation, tree nursery production, composting, and wood vinegar production. Environmental education workshops were also held at the elementary school, kindergarten, and daycare center.

 

A few years after planting, the Arabica coffee began to bear fruit, and CGN provided training to farmers on harvesting methods and post-harvest processing, drying, and storage.

Community members were able to take steps toward a sustainable and self-sustaining livelihood. In 2016, the project was expanded to the neighboring community of Tabeyo.

 


Reforestation and Agroforestry Project in the Northern Mountainous Region of Luzon

 

Project site: Sagubo, Kapangan, Benguet Prvince, Philippines

Duration of the project: July 2017 - June 2018

Partner organization: Moyai Net, Japan

Grant: Green Fund by National Land Afforestation Promotion Organization 

In charge: Renato Guilingen

 

The province of Benguet is one of the highest regions in the Philippines. Most of the highland vegetables produced in the Philippines come from this province. The virgin forests of Benguet have been gradually converted into vegetable fields. One of the vegetables favored by farmers in Benguet is Sayote, which has steadily covered the mountains that were once forests. Sayote is cultivated on steep mountain slopes and is grown with chemical fertilizers. In areas where forests have been converted to Sayote fields, there has been soil collapse and the spread of plant diseases due to monoculture.

 

Sagbo is a barangay in the Municipality of Kapangan, Benguet, where Sayote cultivation is the community people's main livelihood. In this barangay, CGN, community organization, and Japanese NPO  Moyai Net launched an agroforestry and tree planting project from July 2017 to June 2019 for forest conservation, reforestation, and livelihood security.

 

In the project, the following tree seedlings were planted;

-7,500 Alnus trees.

-1,500 Calliandra trees

-3,000 Tuai trees

-13,200 Arabica coffee trees.

 

CGN also conducted seminars and workshops to beneficiaries.

To ensure the sustainability of the project, CGN built two nurseries and provided guidance on the production of seedlings.

 


Water Source Forest Conservation and Restoration Project in Ambondulan, Tublay, Benguet Province

 

Project site: Ambongdolan, Tublay, Benguet Province, Philippines

Project duration: April 2014 - March 2017

Grant: AEON Environmental Foundation, Japan

In charge: Ranato Guilingen

 

From April 2014 to March 2017, CGN implemented the Water Source Forest Conservation and Restoration Project in partnership with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resource Office of Tublay Municipality and the people's organization CARE. 

 

The project practiced the agroforestry method, planting trees with less affecting the biodiversity of the forest. Arabica coffee seedlings were distributed to CARE members willing to grow coffee on their private land.

 

The following seedlings have been planted:

 

2014

- 8,973 Oak

- 7,973 Benguet Pine

- 3,541 Alnus

- 9,163 Arabica Coffee

 

2015

- 3,100 Caliandra

- 2,400 Alnus

- 2,500 Benguet pine

- 400 Bamboo

- 10,830 Arabica Coffee

 

The project was such a success that at the end of the project, a total of 54 families were members of the project that participated in CARE. Without the combined efforts of the local government unit of Tublay, community volunteers, CGN staff, interns, and tree planting volunteers, including Japanese students studying in Baguio and other Filipino environmentalists, the project couldn't have been a success.

 


Wildlife Conservation through Forest Farming Coffee Cultivation in Kibugan, Benguet Province

 

Project site: Sagpat, Kibungan, Benguet Province, Philippines

Project Duration: April 2019 - March 2020

Grant: AEON Environmental Foundation

In charge:  Mhyra Seset

 

Since 2006, CGN has been carrying out reforestation and agroforestry projects in Kibungan, Benguet. The purpose of this project was to conduct an ecological survey to verify the results of the reforestation and agroforestry project. Sagpat is known as an area where deforestation is progressing due to the expansion of Sayote cultivation.

 

Barangay Sagpat officials, students from Sagpat Elementary School, 15 student volunteers from Benguet State University (BSU), Sagpat Farmer Agricultural Corporative (SFAC), a partner organization of the project site, CGN staff and volunteers participated in the community tree planting activity on Arbor Day. The tree planting activity was held to promote greening. A total of 3,795 trees were planted. These include 1,415 coffee trees, 1,630 Tuai trees, 150 Mala Tibig trees, and 600 Alnus trees.

 

In addition, a total of 9,465 seedlings were distributed to 23 SFAC members for planting on their properties. The seedlings consisted of 5,695 Arabica coffee trees, 2,370 Tuai trees and 1,400 Alnus trees.

 

The project also included a biodiversity survey of the coffee agroforestry plantations with students from the BSU-College of Forestry. Out of the 12 plantation sites (9 in Barangay Sagpat and 3 in Poblacion), they were able to conduct surveys.

 

In December 2019, CGN conducted a birding workshop with the help of Jennica Masigan from the Center for Conservation Innovation Philippines Inc. and Dr. Kazuo Koyama from Bird Research, a Japanese non-profit organization. SFAC members participated and were asked to observe and record the birds they saw in their respective farms.

 

As part of the project, a tree nursery was also set up for SFAC members to produce seedlings that they can use for their own reforestation efforts.