Change in the uplands of Nagtipunan

Determined to avert further damage, the local government of Nagtipunan went beyond banning destructive forest activities and sought to change the way upland dwellers approached livelihood. They availed of financial and technical support from various institutions and introduced a program to teach the farmers new skills they can use to start small livelihood enterprises.

Local farmer-members of the Kadikitan Association for Community Development (KAFCD) have started making furniture after completing a six-day skills training on rattan and woodcraft production recently. It was co-sponsored by the Departments of Trade and Industry (DTI), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the USAID-funded Philippine Environmental Governance (EcoGov) Project.

The hands-on training has enabled the farmers to produce quality furniture products. The DTI committed to provide marketing support by bringing the products to trade fairs and product exhibitions in major cities. 

KAFCD chairman Donato Gammad says “this will make our members more productive. With the supplementary income, they won’t have to resort to kaingin-making and timber poaching to earn a living.” He is upbeat about the project. “Our products will have a competitive pricing advantage since we are producing the raw materials ourselves.”

The association was granted by the DENR a resource use permit (RUP) last April to gather close to 260,000 linear meters of rattan in their area, with an obligation to set aside a portion of the association’s income for rattan replanting and other developmental activities. They are also working on a RUP to harvest gmelina trees from a 25-hectare plantation established by the association in 1995, to be used for woodcraft production.

The livelihood project is consistent with the provisions of the Nagtipunan Forest Land Use Plan which was developed with assistance from DENR, the EcoGov Project, and other partners. The strengthening of local organizations like KAFCD by linking them to support institutions is part of the municipality’s thrust to develop local managers who can assume the responsibility of managing, protecting and developing the forestlands.