Agro-forestry project launched

MANILA, Philippines - Mining company Mindoro Nickel, in cooperation with National Greening Program (NGP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), recently launched its reforestation program, Livelihood Enhancement Agro-Forestry (LEAF) in Occidental Mindoro.

With the battle cry “Itatanim Ko, Kinabukasan Ko! (I will plant, my future),” LEAF mobilized more than 1,000 residents representing 24 people’s organizations from 22 barangays of Sablayan town in Mindoro to actively support and participate in the livelihood and reforestation project.

Mindoro Nickel allotted some P5 million to cover the costs of nursery and seedlings production, technical training, plantation establishment and maintenance, and the development of a 10-hectare training and demonstration farm.

The NGP promises technical and financial support to those who will implement compatible activities such as agroforestry and fuel wood production so that the uplands become more stable sources of income while preventing soil erosion through sustainable agriculture, contour farming, hedgerows and overall forest protection systems.

One hundred hectares will be devoted to agroforestry with coffee as main cash crop and fast growing trees such as rubber, ipil-ipil or kakawate for fuel wood production. Riparian zones, at least 10 meters on each riverbank or creek side, will be planted with coffee interspersed with compatible plants, while home lots at one hectare per family will be devoted for fuel wood production, preferably near the agroforestry plots.

 The expected output for this project includes: at least 40,000 seedlings planted for fuel wood; 20,000 coffee seedlings planted and interspersed with food crops and an initial 100 families with climate change adapted livelihood.