Initial development of the Agro-Ecological Village Model: The Southern Negros Sustainable Agriculture Development Project (SNSADP)

The environmental quality of Southern Negros in the Philippines remains in a long-term trend of deterioration. The growing population is placing tremendous pressure on the region's diminishing natural resources. The secondary forests are being heavily denuded, both by charcoal producers and by upland farmers clearing land for agriculture, with the island experiencing 95% deforestation. Without significant forest cover, typhoons and El Nino events cause serious damage in the region. Deterioration of the forest land marine resources places additional pressure on agriculture to support the rural population. The agricultural situation in Southern Negros is especially critical. In the mid-1980s, the island of Negros became infamous in Southeast Asia for the collapse of its sugar industry and the ensuing food crisis. For both ecological and economic reasons there is a pressing need to develop more resource efficient farming systems in the region.

In 1998, REAP-Canada initiated its development programming activities on Negros Island in the Philippines with Paghida et sa-Kauswagan Development Group (PDG) and the MAPISAN Farmers Alliance in Southern Negros, along with national support from the MASIPAG Farmer-Scientist Partnership network and the University of the Philippines at Los Banos. The principal funding source for the programming was a CIDA ESDP-Partnership Branch project entitled gThe Southern Negros Sustainable Agriculture Development Project (SNSADP)h which began in July 1998 and ended in September 2002. The goal of the programming was to reduce rural poverty and rehabilitate the natural environment by empowering small farmers to organize themselves through the development of ecological farming systems.

The project was conducted in three phases. Phase I and II consisted of introducing a range of sustainable agriculture practices to multiple farming communities and beneficiaries through demonstration trials, farmer-to-farmer trainings and the production and distribution of written materials related to sustainable agriculture. Achievements and lessons learned from these two phases lead to the apparent need for the integral development of social and ecological community infrastructures in a way that creates positive feedback for continued development and re-establishes the communication and information exchange networks. It was through the needs assessment of these communities that the Agro-Ecological Village Development concept naturally evolved. The third Phase implemented the AEV Model in two communities of agrarian reform beneficiaries, and was aimed to develop the ecological, social, and technological infrastructure of communities in an integrated way.

The SNSADP programming resulted in the following achievements:

Phase I

  • Development of five diversification trial farms testing 25 cropping alternatives
  • Provision of 21 trainings to 588 farmers and 3 conferences to 633 participants
  • Provision of sustainable agriculture library material to Negros Occidental Agricultural College
Farmers learned to diversify their farms and grow high value vegetables as better gourd A learning farm developed to demonstrate sustainable practices and diversified farming systems

Phase II

  • Establishment of 5 sugar cane trash farming trial farms
  • Establishment of 3 trials testing corn/squash/pigeon pea intercropping systems. Establishment of vegetable and grain legume trial farms in 6 communities, testing 17, 12, 11,10, 9 and 3 varieties, respectively
  • Development of 4 female farmer trainers
  • Provision of 26 trainings to 791 farmers and 2 conferences to 226 participants
  • Creation of 2 new farming manuals and additional library materials

Phase III

  • 71 diversification farm plans were completed
  • 22 demonstration plots in two communities
  • 646 farmers were trained on ecological farming, 42% (245) of which were by women
  • microcredit programs were established for households

Community's Experience

  • Improved food security and higher income levels because of an increased ability to meet their basic needs, improve production and minimize indebtedness. Although not apparent in all farming communities, some farm families (particularly those that have had the most successful adoption of practices such as vegetable diversification) have reported a higher degree of food security and increased income levels stemming from sustainable farming techniques
  • Increased adoption of sustainable farming techniques among members of the MAPISAN Alliance though continued development of community trainings and demonstrations over the past several years of project implementation. Farmer empowerment has risen and has continued to grow beyond the lifespan of the project as farmers increasingly apply their new knowledge and gain confidence from positive experiences, measured by the self-sufficiency of farmers and their readiness to investigate new farming practices. Farming systems diversification enables the marketing of a diverse array of locally produced vegetables in the Philippines.

AEV program activities focused on the development and demonstration of cropping system diversification, farm ecologization and rural community empowerment assisted with organizational, financial, educational and technical support. Innovative programs which proved to have significant impacts to the communities and their environment included:

New Project Launch in 2004: The Philippine Sustainable Seed and Agricultural Development Project (PSSA)

In the Philippines, the challenge exists for farmers, non-government organizations (NGOs), scientists, academic institutions and other stakeholders to develop practical approaches that support sustainable agriculture. Economically, it is necessary to develop resource-efficient farming systems, as well as innovative mechanisms for their delivery and for the capacity building of farmers, with the limited financial resources available within the Philippines. The farmers themselves need to take control over their production, training and plant improvement programs and work in partnership with researchers/scientists and NGOs, in order to advance sustainable agricultural systems that perform productively in resource-limited rural communities. The Pambansang Inisyatibo sa Binhi at Likas Kayang Pagsasaka sa Pilipinas (PABINHI) Network and its programs were developed with this goal in mind. The farmer led/scientist assisted network is at the forefront of the sustainable agriculture movement in the Philippines, building upon 20 years of existing experience in participatory assessment, training and on-farm research.

REAP-Canada is now partnered with PABINHI through a CIDA-sponsored project which aims to empower farmer's organizations to develop sustainable farming and seed systems in some of the most impoverished areas in the Philippines. This is a means to reduce poverty, enhance food security, increase self-reliance and farm productivity, promote gender equality and reduce environmental degradation in the Philippines. This will be done through the utilization of innovative participatory assessment, training and research methods. The project focuses on:

  1. Strengthening the capacity of farmer's organizations in the PABINHI network in some of the most impoverished areas in the Philippines including Panay islands and Guimaras;
  2. Enhancing sustainable agriculture training through development of PABINHI's farmer-to-farmer training network and training modules to support the development of ecological farming systems in the Philippines;
  3. Developing a network of Sustainable Agriculture Learning Farms amongst the peoples organizations as a new mechanism to support farm development; and
  4. Supporting the genetic conservation, distribution, testing and local multiplication of food crops such as: rice, corn, millet, grain legumes, root crops, vegetables and other crops suitable for sustainable farming through an adaptability trial farm approach.

To learn more about our programming efforts with partners in the Philippines, refer to the documents in our on-line library.

(C)2004 REAP-Canada