As one of the newest programs of sustainable development in the country, agroforestry may be the key to resource rehabilitation. Various government agencies, NGOs, and institutions are promoting it as the strategy for conservation. "We wean people away from the exploitation of the natural plants that we have, leading to the preservation and conservation of the natural forests," says IAF director Wilfredo Carandang.
"We intend to pursue research more vigorously, along with capacity building," he adds. "We will be training more schools and organizations, and validating sustainable agroforestry systems."
Rehabilitation projects are also included in the IAFs program as a "remedy" for locations devastated by illegal practices and natural disasters. The local government is looking to formulate an agroforestry-ecotourism area, which will highlight the benefits gained by the practice.
"Agroforestry is neither agriculture nor forestry, it has a culture of its own," explains Carandang. Its goal is to diversify the farm to make it more productive and eco-friendly. This means integrating different species into the land with significant interaction between them.
The IAF has also been strengthening its relationship with national and international organizations. The institute has expanded its partnership with the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE), the Upland NGO Assistance Committee (UNAC), and with an international research institution, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).
Moreover, IAF serves as the secretariat of the National Agroforestry Committee (NAC), which is working towards the institutionalization of the national Agroforestry development program.
Despite the many benefits of agroforestry to the country, it is not without its drawbacks. The practice requires a tremendous amount of work, considering our land area. Marketing agroforestry techniques to farmers is another challenge, as most still cling to the single management system.
But these drawbacks will not cloud the future of agroforestry nor its role in the country: "Agroforestry has already established itself as a science, and our goal is to come up with a breed up professionals trained in the field," says Carandang. Bernice P. Varona