FARMERS can now harvest 600 kilograms of coffee beans every year through the community-based Forest Management Project (FMP), a collaboration between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency Philippines (JICA Philippines).
The FMP is an 11-year project that covers the Upper Magat and Cagayan River basins, the Pampanga River basin and the Jalaur River basin.
The project consisted of initiating reforestation activities, conducting management capacity development training for people’s organizations (POs), establishing livelihood enterprises and constructing bridges, roads and irrigation systems to help local communities in forest conservation and livelihood.
The DENR and JICA worked with 149 POs and local government units (LGUs) in Ifugao, Iloilo, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
On a visit to the municipalities of Janiuay, Lambunao and Calinog in Iloilo, DENR and JICA officials found 13,027 hectares of new tree and agroforestry plantations, and a 16.44-percent increase in vegetative cover through the FMP, based on the 2015-2021 Geo-Spatial Data Analysis.
The establishment of agroforestry support facilities under the FMP has also given communities better access to basic social services like education and health care. For instance, it has reduced travel time from Calinog to Iloilo City and back from three days to less than six hours.
“The FMP has improved my income and enabled me to send my three sons to university,” Janiuay resident Jimmy Rapista said, adding that his sons also want to join the forest conservation initiatives.
JICA Philippines noted the project would not be possible without the cooperation of the DENR, LGUs and local communities.
DENR 6 Regional Executive Director Raul Lorilla said, “We need to change individuals to change the society.”
The DENR and JICA vowed to continue supporting the communities through the FMP initiative.
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