“Only when the last tree has been cuvt, the last river poisoned, and the last fish caught will we realize we can’t eat money.” – A Native American proverb.
Where in the world can you find a farming system where trees and agricultural crops are planted together?
At the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) Foundation, Inc., a non-government organization based in Kinuskusan, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, that’s where. Here, you can find a small-scale reforestation program – about two hectares – called Sustainable Agroforest Land Technology or SALT 3.
“Farmers can plant one hectare to different trees and another hectare to various crops,” explains Roy C. Alimoane, the center’s director. “The crops provide income for the farmer and his family while waiting for the trees to grow.”
SALT 3 is the center’s answer to the rapid disappearance of the country’s forest cover. Alimoane says that as a result of deforestation, the country’s croplands are also fast deteriorating. Soil erosion is between 60-65 percent.
“Soil erosion is an enemy to any nation – far worse than any outside enemy coming into a country and conquering it because it’s an enemy you cannot see vividly,” said Harold R. Watson, former MBRLC director. “It’s a slow, creeping enemy that soon possesses the land.”
Actually, SALT 3 is the third variant of the SALT systems, which the MBRLC is noted for. For encouraging international utilization of the one-hectare SALT 1 (Sloping Agricultural Land Technology) model, Watson received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding in 1985.
SALT 2 (Simple Agro-Livestock Technology) is the integration of goats into the SALT system. Designed for only half a hectare, 12 does are raised together in one house situated in the middle of the farm with one buck living in an adjacent shed (this is done so that when milking is done, the milk won’t have that “goaty smell”).
In SALT 3, one-hectare is developed for various agricultural crops. Following the SALT 1 system, different nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs (like the local “ipil-ipil” and “kakawate” and introduced species such as Flemingia macrophylla, Desmodium rensonii, andIndigofera anil) are planted in double rows, following their natural contour.
“The principle of SALT is the same as that used by the Ifugao tribes in Mountain Province,” Alimoane explains. “All we are doing is using various nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs instead of rocks.”
When the rows of vegetation are 1.5 to 2 meters tall, they are cut back to about 40 centimeters and the tops are piled in the 3-5 meter alleys where crops are growing. “The leaves of the shrubs make very good nitrogen-rich fertilizer and also add organic matter of the soil,” Alimoane points out.
In the SALT scheme, you find a mix of permanent crops, cereals and vegetables. Every third strip of available land is normally devoted to permanent crops like cacao and coffee. A combination of various cereals (corn, upland rice, and sorghum) and vegetables (string beans, cucumber, squash, etc.) are planted on the remaining two strips of land.
MBRLC recommends crop rotation. For instance, those strips planted with cereals earlier are planted with peanuts or winged beans in the next cropping. “Crop rotation helps to preserve the regenerative properties of the soil and avoid the problems of infertility typical of traditional agricultural practices,” Alimoane says.
Multistory cropping may also be practiced (planting black pepper, corn, and lanzones together in one hedge). In waterlogged areas, gabi, kangkong and other water-loving crops are planted. “We all do these to make use of all the available spaces of the farm,” Alimoane says.
“Some of the crops should be planted to feed the farmer’s family, while other crops are grown for sale, so family income is well spread out over the season,” says Alimoane. “Every week or every month, there’s always something to harvest. The system can, in fact, raise the family income threefold.”
However, MBRLC encourages that only one hectare of the SALT 3 is planted to crops. This is where the farmer will concentrate more as years go by. However, the upper portion of the farm is planted to different trees, which are native to the area.
Alimoane talked about “tree time zones” of 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 years, within which progressively more valuable products are harvested. Some very valuable trees could be left longer, and he dubs this “the grandchild project – plant something for your grandchildren.”
Among the tree species planted in the SALT 3 model farm are bamboo, Sesbania sesban, “ipil-ipil,” Acacia auriculiformis and A. mangium, Swietenia macrophylla, Pterocarpus indicus (more popularly known as narra), and Samanea saman (rattan is planted below it). Some of these are planted basically for fuelwood while others are for furniture purposes.
Aside from controlling soil erosion, another good thing about SALT 3 is that can help mitigate the problems brought about by climate change. “By planting trees in your farm, you help create a sink for the carbon dioxide that should be having been released into the atmosphere,” explains Alimoane.
He points out a study done by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) which showed that a single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide at a rate of 21 kilograms a year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support two persons. About 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide are removed and 1.07 tons of life-giving oxygen are produced for every ton of new grown trees.
Planting trees in curtailing climate change is feasible, according to a study conducted by the Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA) found out. The researchers looked at the feasibility of a forestry carbon project for the Magbukun Aytas of Kanawan, Morong. They are an indigenous tribe living in the 23,688-hectare Bataan Natural Park (BNP).
At least 10,000 hectares of the park has been declared as the tribe’s ancestral domain. In the past, it has done eco-restoration work in about 1,500 hectares of BNP’s forest. EEPSEA selected the site for the study “because the Aytas need funds to allow them to conserve and manage their ancestral lands, which are under constant threat.”
The EEPSEA Policy Brief noted: “The carbon forestry project covering 9,775 hectares proposed by the study was designed to reverse the current deforestation trend in the Aytas’ ancestral domain.
If put in place, the project would have three components: reforestation, enrichment plan ting, and forest protection. “Reforestation would be undertaken in brushland areas while enrichment planting and forest protection would be implemented in second growth and old growth forests, respectively,” the summary report explained.
Three different points of view were done for the feasibility of the project, namely: technical feasibility, social acceptability, and financial stability. Highlights of the study are as follows:
- If no steps are taken to reduce deforestation in the Aytas’ ancestral land, the carbon contained in the region would drop to around 1.16 million tons by 2040 (from 1.31 million tons in 2011).
- Under the “low” scenario, the total carbon benefits that the project would bring would amount to 20.26 million tons of carbon dioxide. Under the “high” scenario, total carbon benefits would be 25.07 million tons of carbon dioxide.
- With carbon valued at a low price of US$5/tCO2, the four scenarios’ net benefits for 1 to 3 years would be negative, but they would become positive from year 6 onwards. At the higher carbon price (US$20/tCO2), the net benefits for the “medium low,” “medium high,” “high” scenarios would be negative for years 1 to 2. In the “low” scenario, the net benefit would be negative only in year 1 and would become positive from year 2 onwards.
- The net present values for four scenarios at different prices per tCO2 (with discount rates of 10%, 15%, and 20%) were P3.874 million for “low,” P3.137 million for “medium low,” P3.339 million for “medium high,” and P3.537 million for “high.”
In summary, the project’s net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) for the forest area that would be managed over 30 years is P170.271 million and 40%, respectively. “This shows that such a forestry carbon project would be financially viable,” the EEPSEA Policy Brief notes.
