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Coconut is one of the most important crops in the Philippines, the world’s second-largest coconut producer. After Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) hit the country in November 2013, an estimated 44 million trees were damaged or destroyed, affecting about one million coconut farmers. In response, FAO implemented the Coconut Farming Systems Programme, part of the Organization’s $39.7 million Typhoon Haiyan Strategic Response Plan, to address the recovery needs of affected farming families. Through the programme, activities aim to enable small-scale coconut farmers to grow short-term vegetable cash crops and annual crops to provide an alternative source of livelihood, while integrating climate-smart agriculture techniques. From identifying the specific needs of coconut-growing communities to implementing projects, FAO works with the Department of Agriculture, the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and local government units to support coconut farming systems.
By providing target communities with alternative coconut-based agricultural livelihoods, the programme has helped restore agricultural production, increased access to alternative certified seeds and quality planting materials, improved crop varieties and animal breeds, and introduced new agro-ecological methods.
Introducing the concept of “contour” farming
For Marcelina Calvez, 52, who have been farming in Palompon, Leyte for more than 30 years, and her husband, the road to recovery has not been easy. They have seven children and, like many coconut farmers, they do not own land. Even before Typhoon Haiyan, the half hectare of coconuts they planted was not enough to feed their family.
“After Hurricane Yolanda, we lost our livelihood, but we still had debts to pay,” Marcelina said. “The hardest part was trying to earn money to support our family.”
Restoring the livelihoods of coconut farmers and building their resilience is a top priority after the typhoon, which means providing farmers with a stable alternative source of livelihood that can be sustained even with limited land resources and capital.
In response, FAO and its partners established 129 Slope Agriculture Technology (SALT) sites, enabling coconut-based farming communities to grow vegetables and other cash crops to complement their main crops, such as coconut and maize. By growing short-, medium- and long-term crops, farmers are able to gain alternative livelihood sources and utilize idle land under coconut plantations.
The sites were built in Haiyan-affected areas in Regions 6 and 8, and training on site establishment and maintenance was provided in partnership with community organizations and farmer cooperatives.
“It’s hard work, but it’s much better than our traditional way of farming,” said Marcelina, a member of the Multifunctional Cooperative of Free Farmers. “We can now achieve higher productivity in these hilly areas that we previously considered uncultivable.”
SALT (also known as contour farming) is adopted in these areas because it is an eco-friendly upland and contour farming method developed specifically for smallholder farmers with few tools, little capital and limited arable land. To further emphasize the importance of adopting climate-smart agricultural technologies, a SALT demonstration farm was established in each municipality and used as a site for climate-smart farmer field schools.
Establishing Climate-Smart Farmer Field Schools
Through the same project, FAO established 68 Climate Smart Farmer Field Schools and conducted capacity building and training sessions in the southern tip of Mindoro Island, which was particularly hard hit by the typhoon and where many of the people living in this remote mountainous area belong to indigenous tribes who were already highly vulnerable before the typhoon hit, with little resilience in terms of food security and agricultural productivity.
The project introduced the concept of combining climate resilience with crop diversification, while providing new approaches in agroecology, weather monitoring and improved methods of soil and pest management. The project also provided new training for farmers in tree-growing and vegetable production.
Before Typhoon Haiyan, many indigenous tribes used slash-and-burn farming, a traditional method that has led to deforestation in the southern mountainous regions of Mindoro. “Before participating in the Farmer Field School, we never thought that our farming methods would affect the climate,” said Manuel Orosa Sr, 67, a farmer and tribal chief of the Hanunuo Mangyan indigenous tribe.
“We learned how to farm the hilly terrain using contour lines, which preserves soil fertility and ensures plant health,” Manuel continued excitedly. “You can grow a wide variety of crops on contour farms, such as vegetables, corn and rice.”
The training culminated in participants developing and presenting a farm sustainability plan, which gave farmers like Manuel more confidence in how to continue to maximize their land.
“The training taught me how to use the land sustainably, which will be of great help not only to me and my family, but also to our tribe and community,” Manuel concluded.
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