Incorporation of local free species in an agroforestry project in Layong Mabilog Philippines

Cavite

Layong Mabilog is an upland village in Cavite province, Philippines. According to the community, major problems are low crop yield and low productivity due to slash-andburn cultivation, soil erosion and deforestation. In response to these problems, IIRR started an agroforestry project in Layong Mabilog in 1991.

A main component of this project is its community-managed tree nursery. The purpose of the nursery is to produce good quality seedlings of timber, fodder, fuelwood, fruit, and green leaf manure trees for distribution to community members.

The farmer cooperators and villagers who run the nursery have produced 25,000 seedlings, mostly exotic varieties.

Farmers planted these seedlings on their farms, in their home yards and along roadsides. After two years, some exotic species had failed to live up to expectations. The trees grew very fast, but their trunks and branches were weak, unsuitable for making farm implements, and unable to withstand typhoons.

Some species, when cut for fuelwood, regrew too slowly or had very poor coppicing ability. Another problem wee the unavailability of seeds for propagation.

The failures of introduced tree species have resulted in renewed interest in local tree species. To identify local bushy plants and tree species which could be integrated in the agroforestry system, the project did an inventory of the local vegetation. A team of scientists and farmers walked through the village and listed scientific and local names of the trees and bushy plants (indigenous and introduced).

Now, promising local tree species are grown in the community nursery along with exotic species. A group of key informants was asked to Identify those species which they regarded as especially important. The group came up with a list of four exogenous and six indigenous species based on various criteria. They said that trees must be suitable for planting as pioneer species on infertile open grassland. Therefore they need to be hardy, fire resistant, have good coppicing ability, have many uses, must generate income, and seeds or planting material must be readily available.

The farmers then ranked the species according to these criteria. The matrix on the next page shows their evaluation of the ten Species' suitability for the various uses they had identified (for details of the methodology, see the Section on Matrix).

This exercise helped the project members identify useful indigenous agroforestry species and learn about their characteristics from the farmers' point of view. It also raised awareness among farmers about the economic value of their trees.

The results of the matrix ranking were presented to the whole community during a general assembly and served as the basis for an action plan for be-e protection and conservation. One of the outcomes was a poster-making contest for school children to promote the protection, conservation, and multiplication of vanishing tree species. Villagers also plan to establish woodlost, plant boundary trees, and reforest using local species.

The project demonstrated that farmers' knowledge of local tree species must be considered and respected in the selection of potential agroforestry species. Responsibility for decision-making must rest with the farmers, not development workers.

Compiled by Raquelito M. Pastores and Romeo E. San Buenaventura

Matrix ranking of tree species Layong Mabilog, Cavite, Philippines

The original was drawn on the ground and stones were used instead of x's..

x = poor
xxxxx = excellent