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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!