[Final Report] Environmental Regeneration of Lakons for Livelihood Development 2022-2023

Duration of the Project: April 2022 - March 2023
Project Site: Tadian, Mountain Province, Philippines
Partner Agencies: Municipality of Tadian Agriculture Office(MAO). Environment and Natural Resources Office(MENRO), St. Michael and All Angels Church (SMAA), Tadian Municipal Police Station, Barangays in Tadian
Grant: AEON Environment Foundation, Japan
Forester in Charge: Mhyra P. Seset

Introduction

Community development leads to a drastic change in people's lives and in the community physically; it opens many opportunities that locals are now embracing and engaging. Yet, the word "conservation and protection" was forgotten; the forest and natural resources were used and exploited. Community development must come with sustainability, which involves - natural resources, people, and economic elements. These three components are interdependent with each other and must be well-decided and managed to have a sustainable community. A sustainable community has adequate resources to meet the current needs of the residents up to the next generation, while forests/nature maintain their capability to provide resources through the protection, conservation, and enhanced environmental activities implemented in the community. Locals must be knowledgeable in utilizing and enriching the resources to develop local resources that would help in the revitalization of the local economy. It improves the socio-economic and ecological aspects of the community, giving them a resilient and sustainable environment.  

Lakons in Tadian, Mt. Province, are being pressured by the community's needs, and many environmental issues may result in deforestation and be detrimental to natural resources if not prevented. Environmental regeneration of Lakons through the adoption of coffee-based agroforestry could be a means of minimizing environmental degradation and helping the community have a sustainable livelihood. Enhanced tree planting will provide environmental and economic security to the Lakons; watershed reservoirs will be protected and improved in functions, deforested areas will be reforested and stabilize the community from any natural calamities and destructions and provide enough natural resources that people will enjoy utilizing. 

Activities Accomplished:

1. Seminars on Quality Coffee Production:

a) Establishment of Coffee-based Agroforestry

The first seminar series on Quality Coffee production focuses on the Establishment of Coffee nursery production and Coffee plantation and Management by means of a Coffee-based Agroforestry system. It was conducted at SMAA Social Hall, Poblacion, Tadian, on October 21, 2022, by Cordillera Green Network, Inc. with Forester Lily D. Jamias. It was participated by 43 project beneficiaries and OMAG personnel headed by MAO Officer Aida Sulipa.  

 

Foremost, the ecological and economic importance of Agroforestry to the community was discussed. This is to increase people's awareness of the environmental issues that the community is facing today so that they can be more attentive and proactive in making resolutions for the protection of their environment as they enjoy sustainable livelihood. The application of coffee-based agroforestry was introduced to them so they could utilize and manage their Lakons sustainably without depleting much of their natural resources. 

Forester Jamias sequentially mentioned the steps and techniques for producing quality coffee seedlings, starting with selecting a good mother tree, harvesting the good cheery to become a viable seed, and selecting the best young seedlings to be transplanted in the seedling pot. She then carefully demonstrates the proper ways to make good soil media, sow seeds, and lay out the nursery. Transplanting and seedling maintenance for eight months were also taught to them. Establishing their own nursery would enhance their knowledge of coffee quality; they would be able to trace the origin of the coffee they're planting. It's an advantage if they will be the ones to raise their own seedlings to lessen their expenses in planting and be an additional income for them if they sell it to others. 

In having a coffee plantation site, Forester Jamias explained thoroughly that coffee has its preferences, so it is important for the producers to know the climatic condition of the area, the availability of shade trees for coffee, and the soil productivity. These are the factors that farmers would consider in choosing what variety of coffee or strains of Arabica they would plant on their site. As for Tadian, Robusta and Excelsa can thrive in the place, as well as selected strains of Arabica coffee. She recommended the Catimor seedlings, especially in the warmer areas like Kayan, Tue, and Balaoa, because Catimor is more resistant in warm places, unlike Typica and Bourbon. She then discussed the proper way of handling and planting coffee on the site and selecting the plantable seedlings. It must be healthy and vigorous, have good roots, a straight stem, and eight pairs of leaves. She discouraged planting oversized and over-age seedlings because they may have a high percentage of mortality. Also, the wildlings will grow but will not be as productive as the raised seedlings. Weeding and fertilization must be done for maintenance, especially in the areas where the soil is acidic, and under Benguet Pine, they need some nutrient supplements for their growth development.  

One participant commented that raising/planting a coffee is like taking care of a baby child until 5 years of age, needs intensive care and attention.

b) Coffee Post-Harvest Processing

CGN conducted the Coffee Post-Harves Processing seminar and demo on December 20, 2022, at SMAA Social Hall, Poblacion, Tadian. It was joined by mostly farmers who have a harvest and, of course, the personnel from OMAG and TMPC. Forester Lilly Jamias, a licensed coffee Q-grader, explained and shared tips on how to process quality coffee beans well. She started by harvesting the good cherries, the proper way of processing coffee (natural, honey, and wash) until drying, sorting, and curing the beans. Jamias reiterated that there are no shortcuts in making quality coffee, and processing has a significant role when it comes to quality, and that's the extensive work of the coffee producer. Farmers must have enough knowledge of processing to meet the quality of coffee, demand, and preferences of the buyers or the coffee drinkers. Participants did the coffee harvesting on the SMAA coffee plantation and processed it as For. Jamias recommended. They also tried to sort coffee beans, identifying the good and defective beans.

Meanwhile, Mr. Danilo Ligao, an inspired coffee farmer who went for a coffee tour in Timor, taught to make a wooden coffee pulper, an essential machine for the local farmers practicing manual pulping. Commercialized pulpers are costly to some, so a wooden pulp would be economical for farmers to at least make their coffee de-pulping easy and light.

The materials and tools used were prepared by the MAO Office, Mr. Ligao, and four men (farmers, OMAG, and TMPC staff) and they were invited to make the wooden pulper with Mr. Ligao. He taught every detail, the parts of the pulper, and how it was assembled. Participants were amazed by the output and grateful that other coffee equipment could be made locally and that they could provide it by themselves. In the meantime, the assembled pulper was used by SMAA staff in charge of the coffee farm, but they will soon upgrade the body parts to be used by the community for the next harvesting season.

 The lecture and demo on coffee post-harvest processing made the participants realize that coffee work can be challenging. It requires time, effort, and knowledge, but they're even inspired to bring "Tadian Coffee" to the market when For. Jamias informed that Tadian coffee has potential like Sagada and Atok Coffee based on the cupping result done in Bontoc. Ms. Kitayo said they would improve their processing practices, especially fermentation and drying, so they could meet the coffee quality standard. 

c) Coffee Cupping Seminar and Workshop

This activity was attended by the 24 coffee producers, three baristas or coffee shop owners, the 3 ATI-DA CAR staff, and 3 OMAG staff interested. They were challenged because it was their first time joining cupping and learning deeply about coffee.  

The workshop was conducted on March 22, 2023, at SMAA Social Hall, Poblacion, Tadian, led by For. Lily Jamias. She lectured on the procedures and criteria for how coffee is being evaluated in the coffee market and its importance for both producers and consumers. Some factors affect the taste of the coffee. She enumerated some brewing tools used in coffee cupping, coffee shops, and coffee special occasions as to what grind size and roast level to use. Many queries were brought out during the lectures, but as the workshop went on, the answers were given as they seriously did the cupping. They participated well, even if it was hard for the first time. They were able to use their sense of taste and smell in identifying the different varieties of coffee (Robusta and Arabica), the various processes (Natural, Honey, and Wash), different roasting levels (Light, Medium, and Dark), and the calibration of good and bad beans. They could distinguish the samples from different single origins (Kalasan coffee, Kibungan, Sagada, Tublay).

Interestingly, the old participants had more distinct taste notes listed and could easily identify that they had strong taste buds. While others said, "It's harder than taking a Civil Service exam."

At the end of the cupping sessions, coffee farmers' awareness of quality coffee increased, and they realized the importance of the techniques on coffee post-harvest processing as it reflects the taste. By cupping, they do understand the evaluation and grading of "quality" coffee. It's not merely the physical appearance but the taste that matters most. With their comments, they appreciate the seminars conducted on how to achieve quality coffee "from seeds to cups." 

2. Monitoring 

a) Monitoring of Coffee nursery

The coffee nursery was divided into two; one is located in SMAA Farm, Poblacion, and established by the teamwork of more than ten members of the SKEP (Samahang Kabataang Episcopal ng Pilipinas) with the supervision of the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) group. The nursery is in charge of Mr. Irvin San Jose, parish staff and active member of SKEP, and it was planned to cater to the seedlings needed for the next project and for the mortality replacement. The other nursery was put up in Proper Mabalite, in the care of the Barangay officials, to produce the seedlings needed by the interested community in Batayan, Bantey, and Duagan. The DA project constructed the nursery structure for the community to raise forest/fruit tree seedlings for their IGP. Two members in Barangay are in charge of the coffee nursery works and maintenance. 

During the monitoring on December 20, 2022, and March 22, 2023, progress on seed sown were failed for both nurseries; Mabalite nursery able to transplant 2,000 seedlings out of 5kg seeds sown while the SMAA nursery contained 1,000 transplanted seedlings. It showed that the seeds procured were not viable and already old (maybe). Thus, new seeds of Catimor (10 kg) were procured from IFHSA-BSU and re-sown on March 25 - 26, 2023. CGN will continue to monitor the progress of the seedlings until it will become a plantable one. 

b)Monitoring of Planted Coffee

Random coffee monitoring in Tue and Poblacion was initially conducted by MAO Aida Sulipa and Mr. Bentor  Ganado as early as January and followed by CGN with Mr. Koyama (Japan Bird Specialist) on February 03 – 06, 2023, at Tue, Cabunagan, Poblacion, and Kayan West. On March 27, 2023, another monitoring of the coffee plantation at Cabunagan/ Balaoa and Poblacion was conducted. Coffee plantations in Tue, Tadian are mostly situated in their backyard and farm (uma); the climate is warmer compared to some areas in Tadian. Catimor and Bourbon are the coffee plants planted under Mango, Kakawate, Ipil- ipil, and banana trees with cash crops like pineapple, ginger, and taro. Meanwhile, in Poblacion and Cabunagan, the climate is mid-temperate, so Bourbon, Typica, and Catimor were distributed in this area. Most plantations have enough shades of Alnus, Benguet Pine, Mango, Gmelina, and Avocado.  

General assessment and observations during the monitoring, it's the edaphic and climatic condition that greatly affects the performance growth of the coffee seedlings. The first year of the planted seedlings is the crucial part because it's still in the stage of adapting to their environment, so they really need to have intensive care and monitoring to ensure their successful growth.     Forester Jamias suggested to the farmers the application of mulching and watering (if possible) to at least maintain the moisture of the soil, especially during summertime since the soil is very dry and compacted. This will prevent coffee from wilting. Fertilization and cultivation are needed for the plantation where the soil is acidic and unproductive, like under the Benguet Pine and Gmelina.  Cleaning the pine needles on the root surface of the coffee is a must because of its acidity. Rather, replace it with decaying grasses or mulch it with ferns.     Integrating coffee into the banana plantation is good, but it needs to have enough space for them not to compete in nutrient intake. In warmer areas like Kayan West, Tue, and Balaoa, plantations must have shade trees that are ever-green, like the Alnus tree, Mala-big, Hauili, and others. This will secure the plants in drought and nutrient deficiency.   Ring weeding is applicable during summer, and fire lining is to protect your farm from fire.   With the result of monitoring, it is really important to know the species' suitability in the area, considering the climate and the productivity of the site, so the plants can thrive well and serve the purpose of the farmer in planting. Forester Jamias recommended Catimor coffee in Tadian because of its characteristics that it can resist warm climates, is not susceptible to pests and diseases like leaf rust, and in terms of market, has a big production, and its taste is one of the consumer's choices.

Table 1. List of Monitored Planted Coffee (2022)

Name	Address	Planted Coffee	Shade Trees	Remarks
1.Victoria Bilog	Tue, Tadian	250 Catimor;	Mango, Kakawate, Rambutan, Banana	Catimor seedling growing well while some Bourbon   coffee have leaf rust and aphids (Planted 2020-2021)
2.Emilia Bontaleg		50 Bourbon	Ipil-ipil, Mango, Guava, Banana	Observed the dryness of the soil that may affect the coffee growth
3.Marcela Ubongen		200 Catimor	Mango, Banana	Close spacing;  Planted coffee growing well
4.Bentor Ganado		200 Catimor	Mala-tibig, Kakawate	Growing well but some seedlings have Sooty molds
5.Bethsiba Pagaway		100 Catimor	Manga, Avocado	The soil is clay type needs cultivation for the coffee planted to grow robustly
6. Felimon Bangang	Malupa, Cabunagan, Tadian	500 Catimor	Benguet Pine, Banana	Close spacing (1mx1m); dried soil and over application of fertilizer, needs  watering
7.Rosemarie Tungaan	Balaoa, Tadian	150 Bourbon	Banana, Benguet Pine	Yellow leaves, Wilting, soil is dried and acidic
8. Melba Acab	Balaoa , Tadian	100 Catimor		Affected by the forest fire
9.Josielyn Sison	Cabunagan, Tadian	250 Catimor	Benguet Pine, Alnus	Growing well but some have yellow leaves due to acidity of the soil
10. Benjamin Castro		400 Bourbon	Benguet Pine , Gmelina	Growing well but some are already welting; need to clean pine needles and apply mulching
11.Rene Del Amor		150 Catimor	Benguet Pine, Alnus	Growing well, needs weeding after summer
12. Rosalina Dacay		150 Typica		Affected by the forest fire, 0% SR
13. Estrella Collin	Egan, Poblacion, Tadian	100 Typica		Need Shade and fertilizer
14. Alfie Cangcang		300 Bourbon	Alnus	100% Survival rate, seedlings growing robustly, farmer must do staking
14. Jane Guiguit	TSAT, Poblacion, Tadian	200 Bourbon	Mango, Jackfruit, Avocado	0% SR, affected by the forest fire
15.Eron Ewen		500 Typica		Welting, yellow leaves and poor condition site. Need shade, fertilizer and mulching
16. William Ladiong		300 Typica	Mango, Gmelina, Jack fruit	Soil is acidic and dried. Need to be cultivated with fertilizer
17.  Layog’s Farm	Kayan West, Tadian	550 Catimor and Bourbon	Mixed fruit and indigenous trees	Coffee planted still adapting its environment, need more shades/ mulching

c) Monitoring of Forest trees

The monitoring of the growth performance of the Benguet Pine, Alnus, Narra, Tuai, and Rambutan seedlings was conducted on March 23, 2023, at PEPO Area and Lakon of Kayan East Holy Rosary High School; March 26, 2023, at the Batangan of Kayan West. As the expected growth performance of the seedlings is in progress, Narra seedlings are striving to grow while still adapting to the environment; Benguet Pine and Rambutan are growing well, unlike Alnus and Tuai, which have higher mortality. Mortality of all the seedlings is due to drought, weed suppression, soil type, and grazing by the goat/cow. 

PEPO area is owned by six barangays of Tadian (Kadad-anan, Dacudac, Lenga, Cagubatan, Banao, Pandayan) and under the protection of CENRO Sabangan. The area is 400 ha. It serves as the main watershed for the six communities; thus, the communities are uniting to protect and conserve the area. Road construction and vegetable gardening are the threats that the PEPO area faces today; the community is appealing to the neighboring province to stop interfering with environmental destruction rather than cooperate to make the area a productive watershed. The responsibilities of each barangay are to plant trees, maintain the planted trees, and help safeguard the site from any manmade destruction (illegal cutting, illegal disposal of garbage, expansion of garden, and fire).

Meanwhile, Lakon of Kayan East Holy Rosary High School planted the Narra in replacement for harvested Benguet Pine trees, and Batangan of Kayan East is for production and protection of the watershed. Forest trees are distributed in the barangays of Tadian purposely to protect and produce communal lands and improve watersheds. While some forest trees and Rambutan distributed to the individuals are for production, shade trees, and windbreakers of the farms.

d) Forest Fire Incident

On March 22, 2023, a massive forest fire was built up in the Cabunagan area, which swiftly headed to the forest areas of Poblacion and Bagnin, Bauko. And two coffee plantations in Poblacion were burned. On March 26, as the community was doing the "Galatis di depdep" in suppressing the fire in Poblacion, the fire that raged in the forest of Bagnin, Bauko escalated and went back to Cabunagan and continued to scorch the woodland area until suppressed on March 27, 2023, by the community fire brigade, CENRO Sabangan Fire Crew and Bureau of Fire Protection team. Accordingly, from the spot report of DENR on the fire incidents that happened specifically in Cabunagan, Balaoa, and Poblacion, the total forest cover damage is 203 hectares. Luckily, the 200 Benguet Pine seedlings, which were planted in Papatayan and lower Malupa on Aug.13, 2022, by barangay Balaoa, were safeguarded and not included in the damage. A forest fire occurred in Cad-cad, Balaoa, on the third week of February 2023 and burned the farm of the Acab Family, which includes 200 coffees and 150 Alnus seedlings. Burnt coffee was replanted with cacao; as for Alnus, they will replant the same species in the rainy season. This creates considerable destruction to the community as they foresee the indirect impact in the future. Loss of quality raw materials for infrastructural constructions, domestic needs, loss of habitat for the wild animals, warmer environment temperature, and, worst scarcity of water supply.  

 The MENRO Office will monitor other areas such as Tue, Bunga, Masla, Bantey, Batayan, and Lenga. It plans maintenance activities in areas affected by the fire and replanting areas with high mortality of planted seedlings.  

3. CGN & Project Beneficiaries Input

a)CGN

CGN will continue to technically assist the beneficiaries in their farms, especially in establishing and maintaining their coffee farms. Replanting and fertilization are mostly needed for coffee trees that cannot thrive well in their environment. Planting of nitrogen-fixing trees is applicable to plantations where the soil is dried and acidic. These tree species will neutralize the soil's acidity and give additional nutrients for the plant's growth. Witnessing one forest destruction and seeing the gradual forest cover loss in Tadian strongly encourages all to partake in the reinforcement of any environmental activities and advocacies that would heighten the awareness of the community in protecting and conserving the forest cover and resources. Enrichment tree planting in the communal land or what they call "Komon" and Lakons; conducting massive Environmental Educational Campaign to the community to help safeguard the forest from any natural and artificial destruction; strengthening the regulation and implementation of Sustainable Traditional Indigenous Forest Resources Management System and Practices (STIFRMSP), an indigenous environmental practices in Tadian for the conservation and protection of natural resources. These activities will make the community more responsible for managing their Lakons environmentally and participate in regenerating the forest cover loss to have high-yielding watersheds and other natural resources. 

b)Beneficiaries

Project beneficiaries are grateful for the activities conducted. They acquired enough knowledge of Coffee quality management to use it and produce quality coffee in Tadian. They believed that coffee could be a profitable livelihood for the community and that their Lakons or Taban would be managed productively as they maintained the forest/land cover. Their goal is to bring out quality "Tadian Coffee" in the market and claim it as their own, not by others. 

"Maybe we are only starting up, and we believe we have so many things to learn more about in the coffee industry, but we really thank CGN and its funding agency for launching this project for us; you are a big part of our coffee journey. "

"As others are busy building their commercial businesses, we are here to do also an environmental business that would help preserve and conserve our forest."

Community tree planting was made easy because of the free seedlings that were distributed per barangay; the tree seedlings given were purposely for protection and production. This is a big help to BLGU. They have the planting stocks to replace mortalities and enrich trees in their communal forest and watershed. Hopefully, it will grow and propagate more and be sustained for the future, remarked MENRO Officer Melchor Micklay.