JICA and DENR back upland communities as protectors of forests, turn over PhP 114M agroforestry facilities

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are backing upland communities as protectors of the country’s precious forests, with over PhP 114 million worth of agroforestry support facilities and a coffee processing facility turned over to local government units (LGUs) and Peoples Organizations (POs)in Iloilo recently.

The facilities are part of the ongoing JICA-DENR Forestland Management Project (FMP) that aims to conserve the Philippines’ forests in three river basins -Upper Magat and Cagayan, Pampanga, and Jalaur – through community-based forestland management strategies.

The facilities turned over this time include access roads, irrigation systems, pathways, and hanging bridges in Calinog, Iloilo.

“One of the achievements of this project is engaging communities in forest conservation. The agro-support facilities hope to help them maintain forestlands, while also developing enterprises to improve their livelihood,” said JICA Project Formulation Adviser TAKAO Ryoko.

Through FMP, 71,300 hectares of forestlands have been protected and developed so far. The access roads and pathways help upland farmers transport their products to markets and lessen their vulnerability especially in times of disasters. The irrigation systems, on the other hand, ensure steady water supply to newly established forest plantations especially during dry months to help maintain their plantations and crops. The hanging bridges, meanwhile, serve as main access in case of typhoons and flash floods, as well as link to basic services for various people including students and pregnant women.

Aside from these facilities, the project also turned over a new coffee processing facility in Janiuay, Iloilo for the Panuran Tasik Upland Farmers Association Inc. (PATUFA), an association of 187 upland farmers who are actively engaged in coffee growing as part of their site development under the project. Moreover, 22 people’s organization (PO) members of the Janiuay-Lambunao-Calinog Federation of FMP POs Inc. (JALAMCA) can also enjoy the services of the facility since many upland dwellers in the region are also into coffee farming.

Through the facility, the farmers will be encouraged to further engage in coffee growing and processing, thereby averting slash and burn practices by providing alternative livelihood opportunities. “FMP teaches us the value of the natural resources we lived in.

Now it makes life better and safer,” said PATUFA and JALAMCA Federation President Emmanuel Caspe.

Aside from forestland management, JICA is also supporting other environment-related projects in the Philippines through conservation of blue carbon ecosystems, non-revenue water improvement in Metro Manila's west zone, and solid waste management among others.