The upland performs an important function in maintaining a healthy balance of the ecosystem. And yet, it is now threatened with an increasing population due to land scarcity in the lowlands and absence of opportunities in the urban centers. While questioning this skewed development, the pressing challenge in the uplands is achieving the twin goal of providing livelihoods to upland farmers while conserving the natural resource base.
The Project addressed this development challenge by enhancing the capacities of the upland farmers for them to participate in the development processes. Through training and organizational building, they become part of the community dynamics interrelating with other stakeholders of varied interests.
In the process, they were able to secure contract with the government to have legal access to lands they till. This improvement in tenurial arrangement enhanced their productivity, opened access to other opportunities and nurtured their sense of belongingness to the community. In turn, they take the responsibility to protect the natural resources in the uplands by adopting sustainable farming technologies and by becoming strong advocates for forest conservation.
The Project also attempted to link the farmers to the market when they were producing some surpluses in their farms. But market participation requires a different set of parameters that would have implications on their current production system and organization. The Project did not have the time work on this but its importance has been recognized. This could be an area where other groups may want to work on.
