SARD in the Uplands TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Case Documentation of the
SARD Initiative Implemented by ANGOC
in the Uplands of Dansolihon,
Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

Prepared by:

Roel Ravanera
with assistance from Maricar Simene,
GraceSantos, and Jerry Gallaron

on behalf of the Asian NGO Coalition for agrarian
Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC)

Executive Summary

The Project was initiated to enhance the capacities of the upland farmers for them to participate in the development processes. It was envisioned that by doing so they would improve their productivity while conserving the fragile agricultural resource base.

It addressed first the problem of access to land. Then, it assisted in redesigning the farming system to improve productivity and prevent soil erosion. Responding to the lack of basic services in the area and in consultation with the communities, the Project incorporated basic health services as one of the major interventions. Towards the end of the Project, it attempted to link the upland farmers to the local market.

After three years, the Project was able to facilitate the awarding of stewardship contracts covering 1,650 hectares to five organizations of upland farmers under the Community Based Forestry Management Program of the government. With the improvement in the tenurial arrangement, the farmers have also adopted more sustainable farming practices leading to increased productivity and stability of the farms. Health and sanitation also improved. Underlying all these project activities was the establishment of environmentally aware and empowered community organizations.

Several lessons can be drawn from the Project experience particularly on the stages of development in the uplands, on facilitating access to land, on implementing agricultural interventions in marginal lands and in enhancing multi-stakeholder participation. It also suggests to other groups working on the uplands take a closer look in linking upland farmers to the market as it may have substantial impact on improving their quality of life

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Acronyms

I.       Introduction

II.      Project Background and Partners

III.     Project Interventions

IV.     Impact of the Interventions

V.      Lessons Learned

VI.     Retrospection

VII.    References

VIII.   Annexes

Annex 1:   Matrix of Stakeholders' Involvement in the Project

Annex 2:   List of Persons Interviewed for the Study

Annex 3:   Brief Description of Partner Institutions

List of tables

Table 1   Data on the no. of hectarage per farmer-beneficiary organizations

Table 2   Agricultural training courses conducted

Table 3   Issues and talking points

Table 4   Stakeholders' involvement in the project

Table 5   List of persons interviewed for the study

List of figures

Figure 1   Map of Northern Mindanao highlighting Dansolihon in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines

Figure 2   Map of the project site

Figure 3   Stages of development undergone by the community