A Filipino program is empowering Indigenous groups to farm in a way that supports the environment and keeps a roof over their heads.
The Xavier Science Foundation implemented a program that pays farmers to engage in agroforestry, or rainforestation. The program allows for Indigenous groups to pick which trees to plant and where and incentivizes their long-term care. This is a marked departure from previous government initiatives that centralized growing of non-native species. It also allows proven Indigenous knowledge to come to bear on modern problems.
This has led to farmers planting native trees such as red and white lauan alongside their coffee plants. The Xavier Science Foundation worked with NAMAMAYUK to get started. NAMAMAYUK is a group that represents some 200 households, spanning more than 8,000 acres of ancestral Manobo tribe territory.
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Definitely 👍 "It should be kept cleared of weeds because the trees will struggle to grow if you don't," said Manobo tribesman Reynante Polenda while he was working his field, according to Mongabay. "It's tiring, but it's worth it for the plants to grow well."
Around 40 households have been receiving $415 per acre receiving this care.
Since the program's inception in 2015, these trees have shown their worth to locals. For one, the added shade has improved the quality of coffee crops. The new trees have also created an explosion of biodiversity, including habitat for the critically endangered Philippine eagle. On top of that, the trees are proving to be an effective flood barrier for people living downstream from the Kalatungan Mountain Range where the program is being implemented.
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So far, the Xavier Science Foundation has been funding the tree planting through debt-for-nature swaps, where national debts are forgiven in exchange for guaranteed nature conservancy efforts. We've seen similar schemes work well in the Bahamas and Barbados, but XSF's program has nearly concluded, along with its financing. Over three years, it has helped plant 49,980 trees and coffee shrubs, but ongoing planting will require fresh support.
"This support should not necessarily be financial but could include the provision of basic social services," said Kitanglad Integrated NGO executive director Easterluna Canoy. "Such as access to formal education, health care, potable water and, ultimately, security of tenure to their ancestral land that can persist regardless of government leadership changes."
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