Participatory upland development program in Dampalit Watershed of the Mt.Makiling Forest Reserve [Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines]

The Participatory Upland Development in Dampalit Watershed of the Mr. Makiling Forest Reserve is the first community-based initiative implemented from April 2006 to April 2008 in this part of the mountain. The main goal of the program was to capacitate and empower the Dampalit farmer-communities to implement upland development activities for the productive and sustainable management of the Dampalit Watershed. The program was implemented by the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems and team from other units of the UPLB hand in hand with officials and members of the local government unit of Barangay [village] Lalakay and the Samahang Magsasaka sa Mataas na Lupa ng Lalakay sa Bundok Makiling, Inc. (SAMALUP) forming the tripartite partners that carried out the program. The program specifically focused on determining the current state of the resources, farming systems and socio-economic conditions of the farmers in the Dampalit watershed: providing the farmers with knowledge and skills in designing, planning and developing upland farming systems; establishing demonstration farms showcasing appropriate upland farming techniques and strengthening the capabilities of the farmers organization in upland development. In general, the most significant accomplishments of the program are the development of partnerships among the three most significant institutions in the area (UPLB, the local government unit of Barangay Lalakay and SAMALUP) for the participatory protection and conservation of the Dampalit Watershed and the empowerment of the farmers as co-managers of the resource. The program has been successful in its capacity-building objectives making the three program partners strong in their respective roles and responsibilities in the program implementation. The continuing efforts of the program opened opportunities specifically for the upland communities through several interventions to become active partners in the development and sustainable management of the watershed. Four demonstration farms showcasing appropriate soil and water conservation and agroforestry farming systems were developed through bayanihan in the farmer-cooperator lots. The farmers were afforded alternative livelihoods (vermicomposting, food catering service during visits to their demo farms, tour guide services to the area, resource person, etc.) and opportunities to develop their personal and sociopolitical capabilities. Thru the biophysical resource, farm and socioeconomic assessment, on the other hand, essential inputs for upland development planning, implementation and decision-making were made available. These data have been very instrumental in defining the strategies and interventions appropriate for specific program activities. These data became useful as well to other environmental institutions and project coordinators in designing programs that match the needs of the Dampalit watershed and its surrounding communities. The overall impact and accomplishment of the program on both the technical and capacity-building aspect are reflected in a number of awards and recognition bestowed on the program as follows: Best Paper in the category 'Enhancing Equitable Access and Use Rights to National Resources' of the International Society for Southeast Asian Agricultural Sciences Convention in October 2006; Outstanding Agroforestry Project during the 3rd National Agroforestry Congress at DMMMSU in Bacnotan, La Union on November 13-16, 2007 and UPLB CFNR Outstanding Extension Program given on its 98th Foundation Day in April 2008. The program site, the Dampalit Watershed, was also selected as one of the learning sites in seven countries of the Adaptive Learning and Linkages in Community-based Natural Resources Management program (ALL in CBNRM).