INTEGRATED FRUIT-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

INTEGRATED FRUIT-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS[1]
Virgilio T. Villancio [2]


BACKGROUND

The Philippines has 30 million hectares and about 54 percent are considered upland areas and are very prone to soil erosion. Only about 800,000 hectares were under the natural forest in 2002. There are about three (3) million hectares under rice-based farming systems and another three (3) million hectares in the corn-based farming systems. The recent estimate of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) reported about four (4) million hectares under coconut-based farming systems. There are about 20 million people estimated to be living in those upland areas.

The need for land use systems that will provide permanent cover to these areas is recognized. These systems should be able to provide production and income for the people and at the same time develop the watershed to provide the basic services and functions. This is where agroforestry is recognized to be important. Agroforestry combines woody perennial crops and short duration agricultural crops grown simultaneously or sequentially in the farm. It is also referred to as a system of growing trees on farm. Fruit trees are natural components of agroforestry since fruits are harvested and provide benefits without necessarily cutting the trees. Among the commonly grown fruit crops in the Philippines are pineapple, banana, mango, papaya, lanzones, and citrus. Durian and Mangosteen are becoming popular not only in Mindanao but in the Luzon areas as well. While some fruits are grown in orchard or plantation (banana, pineapple and to some extent solo papaya) as monocrop there are more farms that are now establishing fruit-based farming systems, which are for this paper classified as agroforestry system.

This paper will deal with the benefits derived from and some examples of the ways of establishing integrated fruit-based agroforestry systems. Some issues and opportunities for the improvement of the fruit industry in relation to agroforestry are also mentioned.

BENEFITS FROM FRUIT CROPS

Agroforestry is defined as the science, art and practice that deals with the production, management and utilization of woody perennials in combination with other agricultural crops, animals, aquatic and/or other resources either zonally, mixed simultaneously or sequentially for the twin purpose of conservation and socio-economic productivity (UAP, 1992). Fruit crops are either woody perennials like santol, Mango, rambutan, Durian and Mangosteen; vines like passion fruit and grapes; or herbaceous like pineapple and banana. Whatever categories, fruit crops are important component in agroforestry system. The integration of fruit crops in agroforestry system provides economic, nutrition and environmental benefits as follows:

· There are medium maturing fruit crops that can provide production and income while the climax agroforestry systems are being developed. Among the examples are banana, papaya, pineapple and passion fruit. A farmer in South Cotabato was reported to produce as much as PhP 140,000 in 1994 from guapple planted along the contour of his sloping farm (Non, 1999).
· Fruit crops can be processed into various product forms and stored. Example is Mango, which are not only used and consumed fresh green or ripe fruit but also being served as green and ripe juices. Mango fruits are also processed as puree or dried mango.

· Fruit crops can serve as a pension crop. Fruit crops once established and appropriately managed become productive after four to eight years. Among the examples are rambutan, mango, lanzones, citrus, guyabano and mangosteen.

· Fruits do not necessarily be sweet to be desirable. For lanzones, rambutan, oranges, mangosteen and tamarind, consumers are looking for the sweet taste. There is a room for developing appreciation for sour fruits into juices. Calamansi and dalandan juice are now gaining in the ready-to-drink juice market. Passion fruit can be the next addition while bignay and tamarind are good candidates. Bignay, passion fruit, calumpit, duhat, lepote and I hope cashew and mabolo have good potential for fruit wine production. Fruit jellies, marmalades and jams produced by upland communities are best sellers as reported by the Upland Marketing Foundation.

· Fruits are good food supplement. Most fruits are good source of vitamin C. Banana provides phosphorous for the body. Bignay is alleged to have medicinal properties.

· Good crops started from good planting materials. Farmers with good quality parent trees of fruit crops also profit from sale of seeds, seedlings and scion materials.

· With the depletion of timber for the woodcraft industries, some fruit tree species are now providing raw materials. Timber from Santol provides good material for woodcarving and baluster. The yellowish wood of nangka provides a natural material in guitar production.

ESTABLISHING FRUIT-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

Starting at the homestead.

Appreciation of planting fruit crops can best be developed if we start planting it in our backyard. In this manner, we can be familiar with the cultural and management requirement of fruit production with less investment. Depending on the area available, we can start with few seedlings of papaya, suckers of banana (saba, latundan, lakatan), grafted rambutan, mango, pomelo or durian. These crops can be planted without necessarily sacrificing the area for vegetables and other crops. If you combine these crops and trees in your homestead, then you have an agroforestry garden.

While waiting for the best one enjoy with the good one.

Fruit crops can be integrated to provide income in the medium term. While annual crops like corn, peanut, upland rice and vegetables can be planted during the first year with the desired climax agroforestry system (like those with coffee, black pepper and timber trees), fruit crops like papaya, pineapple and banana can be planted. These fruit crops provide income during the second to fourth year of the system while the climax crops are not yet productive. A family in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley received about PhP 300,000 income from its first harvest of Lanzones in 1987, which had been instrumental in expanding their farm areas and other farm investment (Arboleda et. al. 2003).

Fruit-based Agroforestry Systems.

The case of a Davao farmer (Arboleda et. al., 2003) put more emphasis in fruit crops like durian and mangosteen as the climax agroforestry system. He cleared the land, have it plowed (using a tractor) twice and harrowed three times. It is then planted to banana and corn. Durian is then planted at 10 x 10 spacing. The corn harvested already paid for the land preparation cost while the first harvest of banana already covered the establishment and maintenance cost. Durian started fruiting during the fourth year and he started clearing the farm with banana. Can he plant pineapple in between existing durian? There is still room for planting yautia or Gabing San Fernando underneath. A farmer in Alaminos, Laguna is herding chicken (kabir) underneath his 15-year old rambutan (Villancio, 2001). A farmer in Bulacan herd goats under the mango farm.

A part of the Agroforestry farm and landscape mosaic.

In the case of a farmer in Visayas, fruit crops are a part of the overall farm landscape mosaic. In one part of the farm, he has two strips of pomelo and below it are patches of kalamansi. In the other side near the road are rows of durian (20 trees) and on the western corner are 15 trees of mangosteen that are planted in between rows of banana. About ½ hectare have hedgerows of natural vegetation with the alleys in between cultivated alternately to corn and vegetables. Near the house, is a shed for four (4) does and single buck. At the top portion of the hill is a mini-forest that combine exotic and indigenous species of trees, bamboo, palm and other plants. In the narrow valley is a fishpond. You will be glad to see a watershed with this landscape mosaic in place.

ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN FRUIT-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

Integrating fruit crops in agroforestry systems have great potentials and opportunities especially when the following issues and concerns are addressed:

1. Improvement of planting materials quality. Our case studies among the fruit tree seedling nurseries showed the need to improve the availability of good quality planting materials. There are nurseries that do not have available scion grove as well as indexed parent trees. In most cases, they rely in existing orchard for the source of scion.
2. Development of value-added products. Just imagine opening a can of a leading brand of fruit cocktail. You have pineapple, papaya, peaches, etc. Among those fruits, which are domestically produced? Can we find substitute to apple, peaches and cherries.

A family of six (6) just came by to visit you and what you have in the refrigerator are four (4) pieces of ice in bags. You do not have to worry because you still have the halo-halo mix in doy pack ready to serve for six (6) persons. The content of that mix is a product of agroforestry; you have banana, sweet potato, white beans, ube (yam) and leche plan. Forget about the melon. Do you think you may buy that halo-halo mix when you see it in the supermarket stalls? Please buy, because it will increase the demand for fruit and other products of agroforestry.

3. Developing new raw materials. Among the local fruit jams, strawberry jam is the most popular. During our SALE Training in Davao City, one of the participant asked if the wild strawberry which are abundant in Mt. Matutum, South Cotabato can be used. Wild Rambutan and Tamarind can be used for juice production. Kalahan Educational Foundation developed Dagwey (a local fruit) in Nueva Viscaya for jelly production. These materials, which are otherwise not utilized, can be developed to produce new products.

I remember a water treatment consultant I met at the Hongkong Airport who asked if it is possible to use mabolo as substitute for apple. Of course, I imagined the smell of the fruit, its texture, and how it is just set aside to rot in the roadside of UPLB. But if you harvest the at proper time, processed it to improve the texture, or make the flavor as well, will the consumer recognize that it is mabolo? What about fruit cocktail with balimbing (Star fruit)?

4. Enhancement of support services particularly in training and marketing of other value added products. The development of Matutum’s Best Jelly started with the assistance from the Foundation for Philippine Environment (FPE) to Mt. Matututm Integrated Area Development Project that supported a group of women to have an exposure trip to Kalahan Educational Foundation (KEF) at Imugan, Nueva Viscaya.. Experts from KEF and MUAD-Negros, another partner NGO, provided on-site training on guava jelly production to the members of the cooperative. De Luna et. al (2003) reported the profitable production of Matutum’s Best Jelly by the Maligo Multi-purpose Cooperative (MMPC) with an ROI of 40 percent.

Another concern is in product marketing. This is where the Upland Marketing Foundation (UMF) helps. The UMF does not only help in training but also provide marketing assistance for the processed products of upland farmers and organizations. Marketing of processed products from the Kalahan Educational Foundation in Nueva Viscaya is now handled by UMF.

5. Lack of capital and high cost of fruit crops establishment. In small farms, the cost of quality planting materials in a major deterrent in planting fruit crops. A ready to plant grafted rambutan seedling cost about P45 while durian cost about P85. Mangosteen seedlings cost as much as P100. Calamansi seedlings cost P10-15. These costs are expensive to most farmers. Some farmers buy newly grafted but established seedlings, which are almost half the price of plantable seedlings. They buy in December, have it maintained in their backyard nursery until May for planting. There are some other cost reduction or cost recovery measure that could be done. Crop diversification with annual crops as described before is one of them.

PROMOTING FRUIT-BASED AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS

The adoption of fruit-based agroforestry system as a land use system is still not widespread. Information about the benefits of integrating fruit crops in agroforestry systems needs to be done. The crop diversification strategy combining early maturing fruit crops like passion fruit and papaya with medium maturing crop like pineapple and banana will support the establishment of long maturing and producing fruits like rambutan, lanzones, mangosteen, mango and durian. In combination with other timber and non-timber species, the climax agroforestry system will be more sustainable as it somewhat simulates the forest ecosystem providing products and income for the people and at the same time providing environmental services.

Fruit trees in the agroforestry systems ensure that trees are not cut for timber but are maintained for the fruits that it provides. Expanded fruit production will contribute for the development of value-added enterprise in terms of food processing and distribution. Fruit derived products such as puree, jelly, jam, marmalade, juice, wine and dehydrated products are gaining in the market. Given appropriate technologies and support, this will provide alternative livelihood to people in the uplands thus help in eradicating rural poverty.


REFERENCES

Arboleda, L.P., W.M. Carandang and S.T. Cepada. 2003. Cepada’s Farm: Simbolo ng Pagtutulungan at Modelo ng Kakayahan ng Agroforestry. Case study presented during the Workshop for the Development of Agroforestry Technology Information Kit (RATIK), Mindanao Training resource Center, 10-13 August 2003.

Arboleda, L.P., W.M. Carandang and S. Belviz. 2003. Ang Agroforestry: May Kakayanan bang Maging Komersyal? Pagpapatunay ng isang Magsasaka. Case study presented during the Workshop for the Development of Agroforestry Technology Information Kit (RATIK), Mindanao Training resource Center, 10-13 August 2003.

De Luna, C.C., N.G. Natural, R.N. Nalugon, R. de la Pena and A. Oftana. 2003. Katututbong Bayabas simula sa Pag-usbong ng Bagong Negosyo: Ang Karanasan ng Matutum’s Best Jelly. Case study presented during the Workshop for the Development of Agroforestry Technology Information Kit (RATIK), Mindanao Training resource Center, 10-13 August 2003.

Non, D.S. 1999. Fruit-based Farming Systems: A case in Tampakan, South Cotabato. In Successful Farming Systems in the Philippines- A Documentation. Farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute and Bureau of Agricultural Research. P191-202.

PCARRD. 2003. Agroforestry and Multipurpose Trees and Shrubs – R&D Directions (2000 and beyond). Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development, Los Banos, Laguna.

UPLB Agroforestry Program. 1992. Developing an Agroforestry Curriculum Using DACUM Process- Workshop Proceedings, November 23-26, 1992.UPLB

Villancio, V.T. 2000. Fruit Growers as Entrepreneurs. Paper presented during the Fruit Congress sponsored by the Philippine fruits Association held at PCARRD, November 14, 2000.


[1] Paper presented during the 14th National Fruit Symposium, PCARRD, Los Banos, Laguna, October 24, 2006

[2] University Researcher, farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute (FSSRI), Agricultural Systems Cluster, College of Agriculture, UP Los Banos, College, Laguna

DIRECT SELLING AGROFORESTRY

DIRECT SELLING AGROFORESTRY[1]
Virgilio T. Villancio[2]

I read a featured article in The Philippine Star by Margaret Jao-Grey “Not Business as Usual” on direct selling last January 3, 2004. She cited Ardy Roberto’s book on “Success Secrets of the Sales Superstars”, which featured success stories in direct selling and network marketing business. Selling products for profit maybe different from selling agroforestry, as a science, as a practice, as a concept, as a technology or as a way of life. However, the requirement for success may just be the same. Direct selling involves face-to-face interaction between the seller and the buyer while direct marketing strategies utilize phone, mail or e-mail. Network marketing, on the other hand, is a variant of direct selling where the seller earn from the margins or commissions from direct selling and at the same time receive additional income from the commissions earned by the people recruited into the marketing network.

We do not need sales superstar in direct selling agroforestry but the traits and attitudes cited by Jao-Grey may be helpful to be with us. She said that a successful sales superstars are committed to see their dream come true, hard working, frugal, loyal, consistent and steadfast, good students (they learn, unlearn, and seek advise and mentorship), good teachers and master motivators. I found these traits and attitudes to be helpful and I would like to put this into three things that we as members of the PAFERN Agroforestry Marketing Network should possess.

Let us not just dream but be committed to work for a vision and a cause. It is that cause that drive us to be hardworking, loyal, consistent and steadfast. Despite the odds, we have been consistently working for the institutionalization of agroforestry as a science and practice at all fronts – academe, bureaucracy, on-farm, and landscapes. We are working for a well coordinated and effective institutional delivery of agroforestry education, research, extension and services to make a difference in the conventional agriculture and forestry strategies in natural resources management and development. The institution of the first degree program in Agroforestry here at DMMSU in 1975 is a part of that cause. We have about 12 million hectares of upland areas and about 30 million Filipinos to work with not to mention the more than 80 million people we could serve given the food, product, income and environmental services agroforestry could provide. I may no longer be the Director of the Institute of Agroforestry or the chair of PAFERN, or not in the academe but in private practice, NGOs, or in politics, rest assured agroforestry will be marketed in whatever form and packaging. We are making modest steps at PAFERN, as we are now generating (with TAFE and the NAC) growing support from all sectors, particularly the NGAs and policy makers. We made representation with the Japan FAO Association as we presented the significant potentials of agroforestry in harmonizing agriculture and biodiversity. However, we should continue our work in every sphere of our influence- at our self, home, family, community, schools, municipality, province and so on. Our membership should expand. We need more sellers in every marketplace. We are not selling just a technology but a vision, a cause, our future- where man and nature live in harmony. For in the future, there will be less farmers but more agroforesters.

Another traits that we need to have is the learning attitude. We may have a lot of things learned from agriculture, forestry, natural sciences, economics, and other social sciences to be the foundation of agroforestry. However, there are still more to learn. PAFERN will continue to work in enhancing the capabilities of our institutions in providing education, research and extension services. PAFERN favors multidiciplinary and multisectoral participation in the conduct of agroforestry research and extension. Researches are not only done in the bastion of the academe. We can do it in our backyard. We can learn not only from the academics and the researchers but from the agroforesters and farmers themselves. Who else can better know the products but those who had been using it. Products can be improved if the users and the developers work together, learning from each other. Do not be contented on what we already have now, for there are still wide range for improvement. But of course, there is wisdom in the tenets, “don’t fix if ain’t broken’. Thus we also document “good agroforestry practices”, whom we could learn things that work and could be tested to work in other circumstances.

All these gains are nothing if we will not share . It is not teaching but more of sharing the vision, the cause, knowledge, skills and attitudes on the relationship among human and human with nature, that could change our perspective about life. We share a common future though we may be traveling a different path. PAFERN works for building a strong links within and among the institutions within and out of the network. The current meeting is one of the attempts to put our efforts together. Rizal was quoted in the introduction of the song “Selfless Love” as saying , “we may have nothing but we discovered that our treasures are in each other”. We have to share our strength and capabilities. The SCUs may have the technical expertise, NGOs and POs have the mass base, while the NGAs and LGUs have the machineries.
Today I see a manifestation of this effort. My thanks and greetings to Dr. Gapasin and the DMMSU constituency for hosting this event, Congressman Ortega for giving us the support by accepting the invitation and give us his keynote message, to the PAFERN constituency represented by Presidents and other officers of member institutions, Local government represented by provincial and municipal officials, PAFERN Partners and Friends. It is my great honor to be given a chance to open this meeting and signal the start of more sharing of ideas and insights towards a roadmap for agroforestry to contribute in making this world a better place. We may have little of something but we could put them together to work for a “vision and a cause”. We may not be able to move mountains, but we may restore hope, life and our future.

Thank you very much and good morning.


[1] Opening message delivered during the 1st PAFERN Luzon Zonal Meeting held at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, Bacnotan, La Union, October 26, 2004.
[2] Chair, Philippine Agroforestry Education and Research Network (PAFERN)

SA IYONG KAABALAHAN

SA IYONG KAABALAHAN
Virgilio T. Villancio

Sa isang pagtitipon ng Couples for Christ, naibahagi ng Kapatid na si Dr. Art Salazar ang kuwentong ito sa wikang Englis na isinalin ko ang diwa sa Filipino. Kabayan, kung palagi kang abala, mahalagang tumigil ka at basahin ang kuwentong ito.

Isang eksperto ang nagsasalita sa isang grupo ng mga matagumpay na pag-asawahan. May mga negosyante, pulitiko, propesyonal at mga guro. “Okay, magkakaroon tayo pagsubok.”

Kinuha niya ang isang malaking garapon na halos isang galon ang laki at may malaking bunganga. Inalagay niya ito sa ibabaw ng mesa. Kumuha siya ng isang dosenang bato na kasing-laki ng kamao at ito ay inilagay nang isa-isa sa garapon.

Nang mapuno ang garapon at halos wala ng puedeng ilagay na bato rito, tinanong niya ang bawa’t isa, “Puno na ba ang garapon?” Bawat isa ay sumugot, “OO”.

“Talaga?” , ang kanyang sambit. Yumuko sa ilalim ng mesa at kinuha niya ang timba na may lamang graba. Kumuha siya ng graba at inilagay ang mga ito sa garapon at bahagyang inalog. Ang bawat piraso ng graba ay nahulog sa pagitan ng mga bato. Nakapaglagay siya ng halos dalawang dakot na graba. Muli ay tinanong niya ang grupo, “Puno na ba ang garapon?”

Sa pagkakataong ito, sumagot ang isa, “ Maaring hindi!”.
“Mabuti” ang sabi niya.

Muli niyang kinuha ang isang timba ng buhangin sa ilalim ng mesa . Naglagay siya ng ilang dakot na buhangin sa garapon at ito ay pumuno sa bawat puwang sa pagitan ng graba at bato. Tinanong muli ang grupo,” Puno na ba ang garapon?”

“Hindi” ang sagot ng lahat.
Muli, sinabi niya, “Mabuti!”

Kinuha niya ang pitsel ng tubig at isinalin ang laman nito sa garapon hanggang mapuno ito.
Tinanong ng eksperto ang grupo, “Ano ang ibig sabihin ng ipinakita kong ito sa inyo?”

Isang masigasig na pulitiko ang nagwika, “ Ang ibig sabihin nito ay kahit puno na ang iyong mga gawain, kung nanaisin mo lamang ay maaari mo pa ring isiksik ang iba pang gawain.”

“Hindi iyon ang ibig sabihin.” Sabi ng eksperto. “ang katotohanang itinuturo sa atin ng halimbawang ito ay ganito: Kung hindi mo ilalagay ng mauna ang mas malaking bato sa garapon, hindi mo mailalagay ang iba pang mas maliit na bato at iba pang bagay dito.”

Ano nga ba ang malalaking bato sa ating buhay? Ang ating mga anak, asawa, mga mahal sa buhay, kaibigan, pag-aaral, pangarap, kalusugan, kabutihan at iba pa. Dapat nating tandaan na ang mga malaking batong ito ang dapat nating unahing ilagay sa garapon ng ating buhay. Huwag nating unahin ang maliliit na buhangin sapagkat kung mapuno natin ang ating garapon nito, walang paglalagyan ang mas mahalagang mga bato ng ating buhay. Higit sa lahat, unahin nating ilagay ang pinakamalaking bato, si Hesukristo, na siyang ating moog. Sa bawat siwang ng batong ito umiikot ang maliliit na bato ng ating buhay. Gawin natin ito, gaano man kaabala ang ating buhay. Kaya natin to, di ba?

HAPLOS SA MAGDAMAG

HAPLOS SA MAGDAMAG
Virgilio T. Villancio

Maalinsangan ang paligid.
Hindi ko malaman
kung saan ako haharap
Bumaling ako sa kaliwa,
umikot sa kanan.
Hindi ako makatulog,
sa aking damdamin may bumabagabag.

May kulang sa aking buhay.
Dama ko
Ikaw ang aking kailangan.
Tinatawag kita,
ngunit ayaw mong pakinggan.
Patuloy pa rin kitang tinatawag.
Ngunit pagod na ang isip ko’y,
wala pa ring Ikaw

Patuloy pa rin ang aking pagtawag.
Mga mata ko’y ipikit, idilat.
Masakit na ang ulo ko.
Puso’t damdamin,
hindi na masukat
Aliwin mo ang aking diwa,
pawiin ang alapaap

Sampung Ama Namin,
sampung Luwalhati
Rosaryo ng pighati’y paulit-ulit.
Wala pa ring sagot
ang dasal ng siphayong,
sa iyo ay dalit.

Malapit ng sumuko sa dusa.
Dibdib ay mabuwag,
kalooba’y manghina.
Dampi ng palad mo’y nadama.
Sa aking pagpikit,
Ikaw ang nakita.
Nagmamasid, nagbabantay.
Haplos sa puso ko’y
buhay at pag-asa

Niyakap mo ako,
ng Iyong pag-ibig
Naalis ang sagka,
sa puso ay nakabikig
Nadama ang giliw ko sa aking dibdib.
Mga supling ng damdamin,
payapa ng ligalig
Sa himbing ng pagtulog,
luwalhati ng panaginip

Maaga mo akong pinukaw.
Magaan ang puso,
payapa ang kalooban
Damdami’y tinipon,
agad na ginagap
Haplos sa puso ko’y,
nais na ihantad
Bulong ng pag-ibig mo’y,
sigaw ng pag-asa,
salalayan ng bukas.

Muli kong nakita, ang kadakilaan,
ang payapang alon,
ang maputing ulap.
Halakhak sa paligid ko’y
musikang ganap.
Nagbabadya ng ligayang,
dulot ng haplos mo
sa buong magdamag



(Sinulat sa VisCA, Baybay, Leyte, Pebrero 11, 2000, umaga pagkatapos ng nakapuyat na meeting ng National Vegetable RDE Committee)

Sa Gitna ng Kahirapan, Bagong Rebolusyon

Magandang pangitain ba ang naka-amba sa taong ito ng asong apoy? Huwag naman po sanang maging asong ulol? Nito kasing mga nakaraan puro aso lamang na kahol ng kahol ang ating mga nasaksihan? Samantala sa kongreso ang isyu ng ”Hello Garci” ay basta na lamang nawalan ng lagablab. Aba ay para ngang ningas ng bao, Kabayan. Pagkatapos ng mayabang na pagliyab at biglang nabuhusan ng tubig, ay iyon ang nangyari parang walang init na napugnas. Matapos nilang kaldkarin ang pera ng bayan sa katakut-takut na dakdakan at patutsadahan habang umuusok ang isyu, at ngayon ay basta na lang. Dahil ba baka pati sila ay masunog sa alimpuyo ng lagablab?

Ngayon, ang tanong ni Kabayan, May pag-asa pa ba sa gitna ng kaguluhan at kahirapan?
Sa panahon ng kawalang pag-asa, huwag tayong bibigay. Narito pa rin tayo. Kahit si PGMA pa rin ang ating pangulo, narito pa rin tayo sa Laguna. May natutuhan ako nitong nakaraang mga buwan. Yang mga problemang yan ay dapat hindi makagupo sa atin. Manapa tingnan natin ang mga kaganapang ito bilang oportunidad upang maipakita ang ating lakas, kaalaman at pagkakaisa. Ang problema ay may solusyon dahil kung wala itong sulosyon hindi natin dapat problemahin. Noong nakaraang taon nasa Barangay Bucal, Nagcarlan kami at napag-alaman naming sa isang magtatanim ng kamatis na ang isang sako pala ng Urea ay1,050 piso na. Namomroblema ngayon ang mga magsasaka. Sa isang panig naman, mabuti na rin ang mga ganitong pangyayari, sapagkat madali ngayong makukumbinse ang mga magsasaka na gumamit ng mga organikong pataba. Kaya ang mga dumi ng hayop, nabubulok na bahagi ng mga halaman at iba pang organikong bagay ay maaaring gawing abono sa halaman. Maging ang mga dating nabubulok na basura ay mapapakinabangan na rin.

Ito ngang pag-taas ng halaga ng krudo ay isang uportunidad na rin sa Pilipinas upang tingnan ang ibang mapapagkunan ng pangpalit sa krudo katulad ng langis galing sa niyog at alcohol na galing sa tubo at kamoteng kahoy. Sa pagtaas ng presyo ng LPG, balik-kahoy at uling na ang iba nating kabayan. Napag-alaman ko rin na ito palang tubang-bakod ay puwedeng pagkunan din ng langis na maaaring pamalit sa krudo. Nitong mga nakaraang Linggo, ilang kabataan ang napa-ulat na nalason ng bunga ng tubang bakod. Ngunit, ang bunga pala nito ay magiging gamut din para sa ating panganga-ilangan sa krudo. Kaya nga nagsisimula na rin akong mag-aral tungkol sa pagpaparami nito at kung papaano maisasagawa ng pagkukumersyo nito. Pati nga pag-gawa ng alak mula sa prutas, pinag-aaralan ko na rin. At ito ang bago.... maraming nagpapasalamat sa pag-taas ng presyo ng asukal, dahil mababawasan raw ang magkaka-diabetes kung hindi na gagamit ng maraming asukal.

Pinag-aaralan ko rin ang mga buhay-buhay ng mga nagsikap, nagpunyagi at nagtagumpay. Mga taong mula sa kahirapan ay bumangon at umunlad ng walang kapuwang nayapakan, manapa’y maraming kasamang kawan na natulungan. Kaya nais kung alisin na natin ang mga buntung-hininga at harapin natin ang tunay na sanhi ng kahirapan, ang kawalan ng pag-asa. Maging suhay tayo ng bawat isa. Sama-sama tayong kumilos at bigyan ng pagkakataon at pag-asa ang ating Bayan.

Ito ang dapat na maging Bagong Rebolusyon. Gamitin nating sandata ang bagong KKK (Kayamanang likas, kaalaman at, kakayahan). Sa mga susunod nating pagtalakay, iisa-isahin natin ang mga ito. Naniniwala ako na sa kabila ng mga kahirapang dinaranas natin, may pag-asa pa rin tayo at kaya nating lampasan ito mga Kabayan. Manalig ka kapatid, babangon ang Pilipinas! Magsama-sama tayo sa BAGONG REBULOSYON LABAN SA KAHIRAPAN! (nakalimbag din ito sa Deretso Balita)

Restoring Sierra Madre: If you can not reforest, agroforest!

THE SIERRA MADRE

The Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the country located at he eastern part of Luzon. The mountain range is the eastern wall of Luzon protecting the island from south east heavy winds. This is shared by the provinces of Laguna, Rizal and Quezon in the south; Aurora, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan in Central Luzon; and Isabela, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino and Cagayan in the north. These mountains provide the people with the bounty of its foods, feeds, water, fodder, fuel, biodiversity and other environmental amenities. These areas are blessed with the rich biodiversity in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park in Isabela and the Mts. San Cristobal and Banahaw protected Landscape in the South including the caves of Biak na Bato in Bulacan. Its watersheds provided water to big dams such as those in Magat, Casecnan, Pantabangan, Angat, La Mesa and Caliraya-Botocan which are important provider of water and power in Luzon. These areas also served as the watershed of Pasig River, Laguna de bay (one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world), central plain of Luzon and the southern part of Cagayan Valley. However, despite the economic, political and environmental importance of Sierra Madre, the government and its people paid little respect or failed to return the favor that the blessing of its richness provide. There are large areas in the region now deforested and are encroached by agriculture. The causes of deforestation of our mountains and sloping lands are beyond logging. The prevailing poverty in the uplands and the limited opportunities in the lowlands for millions of Filipinos did it. They encroached the forests in order to live but slowly degrading the source of their life.

The situation is not hopeless. We can do something to avert the situation. Stakeholders can work together and restore Sierra Madre in two fronts: reforestation in the public lands and critical watersheds, and agroforestation in the private lands. Beside its employment, productivity and income implication, the restoration of the watershed function of the Sierra Madre will enhance its capacity to provide the basic amenities such as water for household, agriculture, industry and power generation. Floods, landslides and other associated hazards will be reduced if not abated. Biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration and environmental enhancement will also be fostered.

I hope that the recent concerns shown by the policy makers would not wane until the protection of Sierra Madre et. al (Mt Apo, Mt Kitanglad, Mt. Matutum, Palawan, Mt. Halcon, Mt Cadig, Mt. Labo, Isarog, Bulusan, Caraballo, Cordillera, Samar, Leyte, and many more) were addressed. The exploitation of our forest and our natural resources will continue despite the complete log ban that maybe imposed. Our regulatory machineries are not capable to implement it in the same manner that drugs still proliferate despite the high penalty required. In some sense, this may result to more illegal logging to continue as the prices of timber may rise up thus worth the risk of getting caught. However, I agree with the bill for selective log ban where logging will be prohibited in the protected areas and forest reserves but harvesting will be allowed in forest plantations and agroforestry areas.

I took a cue from the lecture made by the then NEDA Secretary Neri among the extension practitioners in the country where he mentioned that wealth can be created if we produce more at less cost and less risk with higher growth. Therefore, we could discourage logging if cost of logging in the forest and risk can be increased. Cost of logging in the natural stand can be increased by making the cost of timber produced on-farm to be cheaper thus the relative cost of logging from the natural stand become higher. I believed that planting trees on farm particularly in about three (3) million hectares of coconut areas in the country, which are located in the sloping lands, would provide a large chunk of timber and wood fuel supply that the country needs. Coco lumber now supplies a large chunk of the market that were otherwise supplied by conventional timber products while about 86 percent of the biomass fuel (to include charcoal, fuelwood, and farm by-products) came from agricultural lands. Idle lands held for speculative purposes can be taxed higher to encourage them to use it. A joint venture (partnership as differentiated from lease) arrangement between the landowner and the agroforestry developer could be made so that the risk for agrarian reform will be avoided.

It is possible for a mechanism to be developed where GSIS and SSS guarantee their members medium (five years)- and long term (ten years) loan from Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines to develop their farms into agroforestry, combining trees and agricultural crops. Agroforestry with fruits, trees and other perennial crops has the potential to provide income stream higher than the pension a member could receive after retirement. That is why I keep on telling my students in Agroforestry, “If you can not reforest our hills, agroforests them".

Laguna Sierra Madre, at ang Laguna de Bay

Noong nakaraang taon, Pebrero 26 nagkaroon tayo ng talakayan sa Laguna Sierra Madre Forum upang bigyang pansin ang kalagayan ng dakong ito ng Sierra madre. Ngunit hindi natin nabigyan ng pansin ang Laguna de Bay, pinakamalaking lawang tabang sa Asya. Ito ay pinamamahalaan ng Laguna Lake Development Authority o LLDA, ang superbody na namamahala sa lawa at gayundin sa mga lupaing pinanggagalingan ng tubig nito. Kaya nga’t ang LLDA ay may sakop ng pamamahala sa lalawigan ng Rizal, Laguna at mga Lungsod ng Metro Manila na nasa tabi ng lawa at may ilog na dumadaloy dito. Hindi nga ba at nagkaroon ng alingasngas ang pagpapasara ng LLDA ng isang establisamyento sa Maynila ng ayon sa Mayor nito ay hindi nakipag-ugnayan ang LLDA sa lokal na pamahalaan. Tutuo ngang mahirap ring gumalaw ng basta ang LLDA upang maipatupad ang mandang iniatas sa kanila, lalo pa nga at ito ay may kaugnayan rin sa tungkulin ng lokal na pamahalaan at iba pang ahensya katulad ng DENR. Kaya napakainam ng kanilang programang nag-ugnay sa mga ito sa pagpaplano at pagpapatupad ng mga gawain sa dakong ito ng Laguna de Bay.

Subali’t dapat nga bang patuloy na hulihin ng DENR ang mga ilegal na magto-troso? Hindi ka maniniwala Kabayan na sa dakong ito ng Laguna ay marami pa rin ang mahihirap na walang ibang mapagkakitaan kundi ang magtroso o’ Carabao logging. Bukod sa paggamit ng kahoy sa konstruksyon, ang Bayan ng Paete at Pakil ay umaasa sa industriya ng pag-uukit. Kung walang kahoy na magagamit, maaaring mawala ang industriyang ito. Kung ako ang tatanungin mo Kabayan, dapat lamang ipagpatuloy ng DENR ang kanilang panghuhuli! Ngunit hindi lamang dapat panghuhuli ang ating gawin. Dapat may programa rin tayong kumbinsihin ang mga magsasaka at mga may lupa sa bayan ng Silangang Laguna (Calauan, San Pablo City, Rizal, Nagcarlan, Liliw, Majayjay, Magdalena, Cavinti, Luisiana, Pagsanjan, Lumban, Kalayaan, Pangil, Pakil, Paete, Siniloan, Famy, Sta Maria at Mabitac) na magsimula na ring magtanim ng kahoy upang sa pagdating ng 10-15 taon ay magsisimula na ring putulin ito upang gamitin. Dapat lamang na maging kaakibat ang mga mamamayan sa pagsasagubat ng mga sakahan. Gayundin, inilalapit na natin ang gubat at hindi na kailangan pang umakyat sa malayong bundok ang mga tao kundi narito na lang sa paanan ng bundok ang kanilang ikabubuhay.

Bagamat mayroon namang mga nagtatanim ng lanzones, rambutan, kape at mga kahoy katulad ng mahogany, iilan pa ang mga ito. Hindi naman puedeng rambutan at Lanzones lang. Kung mapapansin natin ang presyo ng prutas nitong nakaraan, naging mababa ito dahil sa magkasabay na pagdagsa ng ani nito. Kaya kung kahoy ang itatanim sa ibang niyogan, magiging kapakipakinabang ito Maraming puedeng itanim na kahoy, katulad ng Malapapaya o Bunliw na ginagawang tootpick, chopstick, popsicle stick at puede raw gawing lunch box. Mayroon ding kahoy na ginagamit sa pag-ukit. Dito tayo nangangailangan ng maayos na programa para sa pagtatanim ng kahoy sa mga dakong ito ng Laguna.

Ano ngayon ang kaugnayan ng LLDA, DENR, lokal na pamahalaan, mga kompanya, maging ng UPLB, LSPC, mga mamamayan at iba pang sektor? Aba ay dapat nating malaman na ang paggugubat ng kabundukang ito ng Sierra Madre at Banahaw ay may kinalaman sa kahihinatnan ng Laguna de Bay. Kung hindi natin pangangalagaan ang mga bundok na ito, darating ang araw na ang mga lupang naagnas ay pupuno sa lawa. Ang dating pinakamalaking lawa ay huwag sanang maging malaking subdivisyon.