Rainforest Farming strategy

for Corporate Social

Responsibility

History of Rainforestation

Visayas State University (VSU, formerly Visayas State College of Agriculture) and the German

Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) started to develop an agroforestry system known as

“Rainforestation Farming.”

The VSU Institute of Tropical Ecology (VSU-ITE), pursued this work and received strong support from various local government units, peoples’ organizations, non-government organizations.

History of Rainforestation

This was adopted by the Philippine National Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through Memorandum

Circular 2004-06 as an official reforestation strategy.

The Philippines

Rainforest Farming

Situationer

LAND USE: In the Philippines Today…

About half the land is classified as alienable and disposable.

This land may be privately owned. The other half, which mostly has slopes of greater than 18 percent, is classified as public forestland.

Only 6 million ha has significant tree cover and less than 1 million ha of old-growth or primary forest remains

Land Use in the Philippines(in Thousands of Hectares)

LAND COVER AREAForest 7,226

Pine 81

Mossy or unproductive 246

Dipterocarp 6,629

Closed 2,435

Open 4,194

Mangrove 149

Other 121

Extensive cultivation 11,958

Open in forest 31

Grassland 1,813

Mixeda 10,114

LAND COVER AREAIntensive cultivation 9,729

Plantation 5,336

Coconut 1,133

Other 90

Coconut and cropland 3,748

Other and cropland 365

Cropland 4,393

Fish ponds 205

Fish ponds created from mangroves

195

Other fishponds 10

Other land or lakes 542

Unclassified area 546

TOTAL 30,206grass, brush, plantation, and other a Mixed crops.

SOURCE: Swedish Space Corporation. 1988. Mapping of the Natural Conditionsof the Philippines. Solna: Swedish Space Corporation.

Intensification of Rice Production in the Lowlands

Lowland rice fields in the Philippines are about half irrigated and half rained. Initially, the green revolution (the breakthroughs in rice varietal technology in the late 1960s) increased labor use intensity in rice production.

More rice crops were produced each year (two instead of one), and more intensive management was applied.

But rained rice farming did not experience the extent of technical change that occurred in irrigated rice farming or the same gain in productivity.

Therefore, the economic disparity between the irrigated and rained rice fields increased.

Agriculture and the Uplands

Farmers to initiate farming in upland areas:

The expansion of land for raising sugarcane in the western Visayas from 1960 to 1975 was also primarily at the expense of small-scale upland rice and maize production

As effective control of agricultural land becomes more concentrated in the hands of wealthier farmers and corporations, small farms are becoming smaller, a process that has been accelerated by the subdivision of property through inheritance.

The end result has been increasing landlessness for the rural poor.

Corporate Social Responsibility

(CSR) in Philippine

Rainforestation Farming

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

"Corporate Social Responsibility

is the continuing commitment by

business to behave ethically

and contribute to economic

development while improving the

quality of life of the

workforce and their families as

well as of the local community

and society at large"

THE FOCUS ON SOCIO-ENVIRONMENT

COMMITMENT

A concept whereby companies

integrate social and

environmental concerns in their

business operations and in

their interaction with their

stakeholders on a voluntary

basis".

Social responsibility becomes an integral part of the wealth creation

process - which if managed properly should enhance the competitiveness of business and maximize the value

of wealth creation to society.

Social Responsibility

Companies need to answer to two aspects of their operations.

1. The quality of their management - both in terms of people and processes (the inner circle).

2. The nature of, and quantity of their impact on society in the various areas.

The emerging environment

and social-economic

controversies…

ECONOMICS PHILIPPINES: Farming to

Property Development or for an Easy Profits

As the Philippines grapples with its worst food crisis in years, many

farmers in its cradle of rice cultivation are abandoning farming .

ECONOMICS PHILIPPINES: Farming to Property Development or for an Easy Profits

Instead of cultivating farmers’ own rice on the small patch of land inherited, farmers use the payment receive from tourists to buy cheap rice distributed by the government to poor communities.

Even though rice prices are high at the moment, farmers' profits are low due to the high cost of fertilizer.

The low prices farmers still receive for their crops from millers and other middlemen

who often pocket most of the profits.

ECONOMICS PHILIPPINES: Farming to

Property Development or for an Easy Profits

Currently, up to 2 million hectares of farmland are devoted to farming rice in the Philippines but the archipelago has less arable land per capita than other big rice-producing nations… and officials fear farms risk being

gobbled up by property and leisure developers.

photo credit: rapingmothernature.com

Strengthening Environmental Education to Make a Difference

… but as we progress, so did we start experiencing environmental problems.

Forest Denudation is at an Advanced Stage

in the Philippines.

Total forest cover shrank from 10.5 million ha in

1968 to 6.1 million ha in 1991. The remaining old-

growth forest covered less than 1 million ha in 1991

and possibly as little as 700,000 ha.

At current rates of logging, nearly all vestiges of the

country's primary dipterocarp forest biota may be

depleted in the next 10 to 15 years.

Water Pollution

The Philippines government to minimize the use of

agrochemicals, warning that these products have

polluted water sources in the country. A study has

found that the widespread use of agrochemicals such

as fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides in

Philippine farms has led to widespread water

pollution.

Aerial Pesticide Row Tests Powers of LGU

The legal battle over the ban on aerial spraying of poisonous pesticides involving controversial pesticide use in banana plantations in1993 in Davao City.

This is not the first case in which farmers squared off against big agribusinesses over the issue of public health and environmental devastating impacts.

Climate change and hunger: Evidence from the Philippines

A fourth quarter

survey put the hunger

measure at 24% as of

December 2009,

equivalent to 4.4 million

families. It surpassed the

previous record high of

23.7% hit in December

2008.

Child Labors

-Studies say that several

banana companies have

admitted to having child

laborers in banana

plantations.

-The practice usually entails

the growers employing their

own children or those of their

neighbors to work in the

plantations.

Approaches and Policies

Recognition to Rainforestation Farming

Strengthening Environmental Education to Make a Difference

The state shall promote national awareness on the role of natural resources in economic growth and the importance of environmental conservation and ecological balance towards sustained national development.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Act of

2009, mandates

corporations to "consider the interests of society by

taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on

customers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all

aspects of their operations."

Proponents of the new bill say that the State recognizes the vital role of the

private sector in nation building and should encourage its active participation in

fostering sustainable economic development and environment protection

in the Philippines.

Reviews of Existing Policies

There have been several recent reviews concerning natural resource management

in the Philippines. These reviews examined government policy, the political climate, and the institutional framework

and made numerous specific recommendations for a major

reorientation.

Reviews of Existing Policies

Policy reviews under way at local, national, and international levels must be

broadened to consider the negative effects that policies have had on sustainable

land use.

Reviews of Existing Policies

In addition, the Master Plan for Forestry Development (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, 1990) has recently been issued by the Philippine government.

It lays out a framework for forestland management over the next 25 years.

It sets a detailed, optimistic agenda that adopts a strategy of reduced public management in favor of increased private management of forest resources through people-oriented forestry.

The National Disaster Management Program

The Philippine disaster management program has a broad scope covering

disaster preparedness, organization and training, construction of disaster reduction

facilities, disaster response and rehabilitation, public information, and

research and development.

The National Disaster Management Program

Flood control projects and watershed management projects, in additions to the broader reforestation effort, are

all geared to mitigate the worst effects to natural disasters.

RA 9512

Greening Programs

Farming in the Rainforest can Preserve

Biodiversity, Ecological Services

Farming in the Rainforest can Preserve Biodiversity, Ecological Services

To encourage market-driven and environmentally and socially responsible management of

forests, tree farms and forest resources.

Farming in the Rainforest can Preserve Biodiversity, Ecological Services

Conserving biodiversity:

Agriculture chemical producers are oftentimes frowned upon as causing biodiversity loss in the belief that the

chemicals or the products they produce for farm use adversely affect the other living things in the farms.

Farming in the Rainforest can Preserve Biodiversity, Ecological Services

Less chemicals:

In helping conserve biodiversity, the agribusiness firm has invested money and intellectual property in developing more effective active ingredients so the farmers can use less chemicals and target specific issues or specific problems without having an impact on the rest of the environment.

Technology in crops is a good example when it deals with a very specific issue and has no other impact.

This can be done the same thing with crop chemicals by developing chemicals that are very specific to an issue or to a very broad spectrum.

Water Stress:

On the issue of water, we see the role agriculture can play in the two areas:

One is to enable plants deal with stress better. Water stress can be little water or too much water.

The second is helping farmers improve their efficiency in using water

Farming in the Rainforest can Preserve Biodiversity, Ecological Services

Lessen greenhouse-gas emission:

Through good agronomic practices, we can help lessen greenhouse-gas emission by encouraging farmers to adopt minimum-tillage or no-tillage farming.

Using herbicide-tolerant varieties, like in corn, which allow farmers effectively retain stubble and retain organic matter and use herbicide to control the weeds,”

The Importance of

Information and

Education Campaign

IEC

Public information: Both through training and public education campaigns.

the Philippines has also included research and development.

Technical Assistance and direct interactions

Determines the existing problems that can recommends review of policies

“It makes sense for a firm based in farm areas to have programs

targeting the farmers who may not have access to needed agricultural inputs or information, which could

make their livelihood easier”

THANK YOU! THANK

YOU!