Baseline Information Analysis for an Integrated Agroforestry Systems in Benguet Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)

Abstract

A baseline information analysis for Agroforestry farming systems was done in the 13 municipalities of Benguet Province. A total of 41 barangays from the different municipalities were surveyed and 95 actual Agroforestry practitioners were interviewed.

There are four Agroforestry systems being practiced in all three Agroforestry Ecological Zones (AFEZ) in Benguet Province. These are: Agrisilvicultural (combination of annual crops particularly squash, gabi, sweet potato, rice, or corn plus forest trees specifically Benguet Pine or Alnus), Agrisilvipastoral (combination of rice, corn, gabi or sweet potato including fruit trees and coffee plus domestic animals typically native pigs, native chickens, and cattle integrated under Benguet Pine or Alnus), Silvipastoral (combination of domestic animals particularly cattle under Benguet Pine or Alnus), and; Agrisilviculture plus Sericulture, (combination of gabi, sweetpotato, or rice planted in open areas with coffee planted under Benguet Pine or Alnus plus mulberry cultivated in the open areas for Sericulture). Among these Agroforestry systems, Agrisilviculture was the most practiced. These Agroforestry systems are situated in areas having greater than 100% slope (which is deemed very strong to very steep slope), have sandy loam soil, experience the Type 1 climate, with temperature range of 18-28.950C and mainly rainfed. Coffee, sweet potato, gabi, cassava, corn, and chayote are the common crops cultivated while cattle, native pigs, and native chickens are the domestic animals found in most of these Agroforestry systems. On the other hand, Alnus (Alnus spp.), and native Ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala L) are the dominant Nitrogen fixing trees integrated while Benguet Pine (Pinus kesiya Royle ex Grodon) is the most prominent forest tree cover. Meanwhile, the identified Non-Timber Forest Species (NTFS) are different bamboo species and “rono” (Miscanthus sinensis) which are sold as pole or trellis, respectively. These are also used for fuel wood and fencing. The respondents perceived Agroforestry as a wide tract of land with large trees growing, unaware that they are practicing Agroforestry. For forest conservation measures, the respondents plant trees and strictly follow forest protection ordinances like not practicing the old “kaingin” system.