Landcare approach: Natural vegetative filter strips for soil erosion control, Philippines

Transcription

1 Landcare approach: Natural vegetative filter strips for soil erosion control, Philippines GENERAL INFORMATION Sources of information Catacutan, Delia C Scaling up Landcare in the Philippines: Issues, of the practice Methods and Strategies. World Agroforestry Centre. Southeast Asia Regional Research Programme. R.A Cramb, D.C Catacutan, Z. Culasero-Arellano, K. Mariano The Landcare approach to soil conservation in the Philippines: an assessment of farm-level impacts. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture Mercado, A R, Jr. and Rondal J, (2007). Natural vegetative filter strips. In: Crtichley, W. and Wach T. (eds). WOCAT 2007: Where the land is greener case studies and analysis of soil and water conservation initiatives worldwide. Bern, Switzerland. pp Dano, Maria Noelyn, Catacutan, D., Mercado Jr., A, and Bertomeu, M Building Extension Systems for Decentralized Natural Resource Management: Lessons from the Landcare Experience. Paper presented at the ISSAAS National Conference on Natural Resource Management in Agriculture at ACTETSME, UP Los Baños Campus, Laguna, 26 October Mercado, A.R., Jr., D.P. Garrity, and M. Patindol The Landcare experience in the Philippines: technical and institutional innovations for conservation farming., p , In: S. Franzel, Denning, G.L., Cooper, P., ed. Development in Practice., Vol. 12. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group., Florida, USA. Relevant contacts Delia C. Catacutan, PhD World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF-Philippines) d.catacutan@cgiar.org; delia_icraf@yahoo.com Useful links Agustin R. Mercado, Jr., PhD World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF-Philippines) a.mercado@cgiar.org; agustin9146@yahoo.com Aurora Laotoco Executive Director Landcare Foundation of the Philippines, Inc (LFPI) alaotoco@yahoo.com World Agroforestry Centre Philippines-Australia Landcare Project Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMME OR PROJECT PROMOTING THE PRACTICE (IF APPLICABLE) Programme or project: Philippines-Australia Landcare Project Time frame Donors Implementer of the programme or project present World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) Agencia Española Cooperacion Internationale (AECI) Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)* Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)* (*Key donors during the current phase) NGO: Landcare Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (LFPI)

2 Claveria, Misamis Oriental (present) Catholic Relief Services (CRS) ( ) Research Institutions Involved: SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) ( ) World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) ( ) LOCATION OF THE PRACTICE Region Asia Country Philippines Province, Districts, Mindanao, Southern Philippines & Visayas, Central Philippines Villages Provinces of Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, South Cotabato, Agusan Del Sur, Leyte and Bohol Climatic zone Other descriptive information 15 municipalities as core sites Humid Annual temperature is 26.5 o C with a relative humidity of 75%. Annual average rainfall is 1,636.7 mm INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRACTICE Practice category Sustainable management of natural resources Practice type Sector Institutions fostering the practice Beneficiaries of the practice Users of the practice Natural resource used or accessed (if applicable) Technology for improving farm productivity sustainably Sustainable natural resources management BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE Background/problem statement ICRAF-Philippines, ACIAR, Philippine Local Government Units, CRS, SEARCA, LFPI Farming communities (mostly in the uplands) and local government units Approximately 15,000 farmers across the southern and central Philippines Land, water, vegetation, germplasm of agro forestry tree species Sustainable management of natural resources and profitable farming is a major concern in the Philippines where thousands of people live in hilly or sloping lands. These areas are complex, diverse and mostly risk prone ecosystems. Natural growth of population and in-migration exacerbate this with increasing numbers of farmers cultivating in steeper slopes and poorer soils, leaving lands in shorter fallow periods. Pressures on increased food production are forcing a transformation in land-use from subsistence shifting cultivation into permanent agriculture. Inappropriate farming practices in these fragile areas contribute significantly to the degradation of the resource base. Soils in the uplands vary. However, fragile slopes in most of these areas are classified as unsuitable for continuous production of arable crops unless conservation measures are introduced to stabilise the landscape. The combination of steep slopes and highly erosive rainfall in the uplands makes on-site soil erosion and off-site sedimentation a major recurring problem associated with agricultural production, despite several decades of conservation farming projects. Every year, around 5.2 M ha in the uplands are eroded at the rate of 2,046 M ton year -1, with Mindanao having the biggest share of the severely eroded areas. Consequent changes in the regularity of stream flows due to increased run-off in the wet season are also costly, affecting downstream communities. These sediments are undergoing anaerobic processes, emitting methane gas into the atmosphere, contributing

3 to global warming. Approach followed To effectively respond to these complexities, diversities, and risks in the uplands, requires a holistic approach in order to address the technical, social, and political elements of upland development and natural resources management. The Landcare approach involves the formation of local Landcare groups that are supported through partnerships with the local government units (LGU) and technical agencies. These groups meet to identify problems, access improved technologies, and mobilise community effort and finances to help improve the management of their soil, water, vegetation, and other natural resources. Landcare in the Philippines grew out of the effort of a number of agencies to promote soil conservation technologies among small farmers in the upland municipality of Claveria, in northern Mindanao. In the early 1990s, while conducting field trials on contour hedgerow systems in Claveria, staff from ICRAF identified a simple, low-cost, less labour intensive farmer adaptation of contour hedgerows, known as NVS. NVS are narrow contour strips of about half meter in width, left unploughed and allowed to vegetate naturally. They were found to be 90-95% effective in controlling soil erosion. From NVS technology, this simple system can evolve into diversified agro forestry systems. Enriched NVS involves integration, singly or in combination, of fruit trees, timber trees, root crops, or forage, in the same strips. Based on their situation and interests, farmers select the best combination of these crops. Group training was organised to introduce the NVS technology to other farmers. During a training in 1996, farmers decided to form the Claveria Landcare Association (LLCA), in order to promote this technology throughout the municipality. By the early 2000s, the CLCA had grown to include 16 village-level groups, 105 sub-village groups and 800 individual farmer members. As a result, adoption of NVS technology increased dramatically. The early success of Landcare in Claveria encouraged ICRAF to introduce the approach at its field site in the municipality of Lantapan, Bukidnon province, in 1998, as well as in other locations that shared similar conditions and farming systems. Landcare is a set of appropriate land management practices. It is also an ethic and a principle used to describe the judicious utilisation of natural resources. It can also be viewed as a development approach and a community-led movement. Operationally, Landcare is a communitybased extension approach that rapidly and inexpensively disseminates conservation farming technologies, including agro forestry and wideranging sustainable NRM practices. It relies on effective partnership of three key stakeholders farmers, LGUs, and technical service providers -, based on three cornerstones; namely, provision of appropriate technologies, institution building, and partnership building. Some processes and approaches applied in implementing the Landcare programme are; Counter parting Resources Attracting local governments to the idea of cost-sharing or counter parting the costs of activities, has been challenging for Landcare facilitators. Resource sharing was vigorously promoted, engendering ownership of activities on the part of the LGU. In establishing tree nurseries for example, while facilitators provided technical assistance through trainings, the LGUs incurred the materials for the construction of the nursery; the farmers contributed free labour on their part, and in some cases, a national government agency - the Department of Agriculture (DA) -, provided the seeds and other planting materials. A Basket, Rather than a Package of Technologies A Landcare facilitator avoids giving out a package of technologies for farmers to rigidly follow step by step. Rather, different technologies are shared, of which farmers themselves decide which to adopt, considering their capacity and available resources, as well as their priorites. In the adoption process for

4 the NVS practice, farmers enriched the strips by gradually planting a variety of fruit or timber tree species, paving the way for a stepwise development of agro forestry in sloping farms. Other technologies introduced were ridge tillage, trash bunding, crop rotation, etc. Technology promotion and creating livelihood opportunities Adoption of conservation technologies, including NVS and agro forestry, increased by 35% to 65% of involved farmers. Establishment of more than 300 individual and communal tree nurseries with an output of more than 500,000 fruit and timber tree seedlings. Diversification of livelihood strategies through value-adding activities, such as seed and seedling production, and marketing and farming systems improvement. Innovative elements Impacts on natural resource base Impacts on livelihood of the practice users Other impacts General success Research-oriented development In general, Landcare Program is regarded as action-research on development, focusing on NRM, agroforestry, and diversification of livelihood strategies. In addition to the conventional roles facilitators play, they also portray a research role through participant observation. Action-learning processes are employed and documentation, monitoring and impact assessments are routinary functions of Landcare facilitators. The research defines the social arena of Landcare, examining the actors, agencies, actions and structures, with reference to the outcomes accrued from the day-to-day actions of those involved. Step-wise adoption of complex agro forestry systems and wide-ranging conservation farming technologies, enabling farmers to build their confidence on the initially adopted technologies. Protection of 15 to 25% of the total farm area with conservation measures, covering a much larger proportion of the cultivated and steeper vulnerable land. Adoption of NVS formed the basis for the farm to evolve into agro forestry, integrating other crops, such as fruit and timber trees, perennials like coffee and banana, vegetables and others. This improved the livelihood options of farmers, which eventually increased farm productivity. For instance, while waiting for the harvest of timber trees, farmers collect seeds for sale, while other seeds are used in propagating seedlings in household nurseries, also intended for sale. Thus, farmers often associate adoption of Landcare-related technologies to increased farm productivity and farm income. Human and social capital enhancement manifested by the estimated 13,000 farmers adopting NVS and other soil and water conservation farming technologies in 18 municipalities of 5 provinces. Provision of environmental services by large farming communities through continuous adoption of conservation practices, particularly water, soil and biodiversity improvement. Increased resilience of vulnerable farming communities to mitigate, and adapt to climate change. The success of Landcare program can be attributed to the following; Appropriate technology dissemination, adoption and adaptation thus enhancing the productive and protective function of upland farming systems - Information, education and communication (IEC) - Cross-farm visits - Farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing Community-institution building that enhances leadership and participation in conservation farming and agro forestry dissemination and adoption - Regular meetings - Small group formations - Networking and linkaging - Training and capacity-building programs - Livelihood projects

5 Technology success Institutional success Problems remaining to be resolved Keywords - Participatory monitoring and evaluation Partnership building a triadic approach that builds strong social capital among stakeholders - Landcare groups lobbied for support from service providers (e.g. national agencies, academic institutions, research institutions, etc.) - Integration of Landcare program in development plans at the village and municipal levels - Participation of Landcare members in local development councils Promotion of appropriate technologies was a major factor for the wider adoption of NVS and other soil conservation technologies. Appropriate technologies are those that: Address farmers needs and priorities Have no adverse environmental effects Are easily understood and simple to adopt/adapt Are compatible to local culture Provide short and long term benefits Are effective in preventing soil erosion and improving soil fertility Maintain and improve yields of field crops Involve no (less) capital outlay Emphasise improvement on farming systems based on local knowledge and validated by science Encourage farmer participation in technology generation, verification and adaptation NVS also provides the basis for transition to a more diversified and profitable farming system incorporating agro forestry. Since sloping areas are complex, diverse and risk prone, technology baskets are more appropriate than technology packages. The following were the institutional that led to building active Landcare groups, which became the engines for the rapid and inexpensive dissemination and adoption of NVS and other technologies: Small group formation (groups at hamlet level) Networks for broader knowledge sharing were promoted through federation at village and municipal levels Effective facilitation to have clear definition, direction and understanding of their problems Regular meetings Collective planning and activities (e.g. communal nursery, tree planting, exchange labor, etc.) Training on organizational development and strengthening Saving mobilization and fund raising Livelihood projects Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) An evaluation study on the Landcare program confirmed that although conservation technologies were understandably the primary focus for farmers involvement in Landcare, many farmers became involved because of the perceived opportunity to access potential livelihood improvements such as fruit and timber trees, high value vegetable crops cultivation and collective marketing and purchasing schemes, implemented through the Landcare process. To better address the issue of sustainability, there is evidently a need to enhance the link between technology adoption and economic improvement, an area that is being looked into as priority in some potential initiatives. Natural vegetative filter strips, Landcare approach, community-based, soil and water conservation technologies, partnership, collaboration, livelihood