Chapter 37
We Turned Barren Mountain Sides Into Forests to Control Irosion & Landslide
For twenty years people living under threats of erosions, floods and landslides, we patiently planted hundred thousands of trees on barren mountains, practically, removing the dangers they faced after every typhoon or heavy rains. They did this through their different organization and associations, securing resources from both the government and private sectors.
These was some stories of their involvements for change. Mr. Rafael Nacuray, former President of their Cooperative passed away after a few months of the interview. This story in Libacao, Aklan, we share. It is one story their struggles for change and development.
“My name is Rafael Nacuray. I am now old. I was elected President of Rosal Ortega Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (ROMPC). I was president for six years. The organization needs younger blood and mind to make it more dynamic. Mr.Giovanni Iguiz, also a member of our Coop, provided the leadership after me. I am still member of ROMPC together with my son and daughters.
“Before, we always fear when there was a storm coming, because it was usually followed by a flood. Our Sitio, “Mamalang Sapa” (Dried Streams), in Rosal, Libacao, Aklan is at the foot of the mountain.. There were no trees on the sides and the top of the mountain, only Cogon, grasses with long resistant leaves and Tigbaw, a wild cane growing in open fields. Typhoons and floods, endanger our lives and damaged our crops and properties. Our barangay is situated in the mountain boundaries of the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, Antique and Aklan.
“In 1985 Bromma Baptist Church in Sweden assisted our church with funds for our ecological farming project. Through the project, we learned practical and scientific farming –chicken and animal raising, rice, corn, bananas, fruits and skills on environmental protection. We learned the importance of ecology. Bromma Baptist Church, with Mr. Ake Svalfors encouraged us to organized ourselves into a cooperative. They taught us how cooperatives improved the economy and lives in Sweden. With financial assistance from them, we started to organize the cooperative.
.
“Pastor Domingo Bernal, our pastor and my son-in-law, initiated the organization of the cooperative. He showed us that with our cooperative we can pool our resources to start bigger project. With a Legal Personality, we can access to services and resources from private sector and government.
We can also participate as contractor in the reforestation project of the government, to address the problems of soil erosions and landslides. Our initial members are still with the cooperative today like Video Salonzo, Joel Nacuray, Ernesto Salonzo, Prospera Bernal and others.
“The members of the cooperative are small farmers – some with a few hectares of land, but some do not own even the place where their homes are built. They were tenants to landholders. Some rent their lands.
“With new farming methods, specially multi-crop and intercropping methods, members who have small parcels of land decided that we plant more fruit trees. We also planted bamboos for use in our houses and also for sale. We planted Palm Trees for roofing. The surplus we sold. To address the problems of soil erosion and fear of landslides, we started to plant timber trees –gmelina, mahogany and acacia. Together, we have planted more than 15,000 fruit trees and timber trees, bamboos and palm trees in our small parcel of land near our houses.
“Then, our cooperative negotiated with the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR), to plant trees in government idle lands under it’s Stewardship Reforestation program. DENR awarded ROMPC to reforest 75 hectares of idle and barren mountain lands. Planting 2,500 trees per hectare, we planted some 187,500 trees in the 75 hectares barren land. Our cooperative provided manpower and management.
DENR provided funds to pay labor and seedlings. These was significant, for with the growth of trees in the sides and tops of the mountain, erosion and landslide begun lessen eventually stopped.
“In 1994, I joined another organization, RISA, an Non-government organization. I was the Chairman of the organization. Some members of RISA came from ROMPC. In our place, DENR allow only two projects for each organization. It was ROMPC who first negotiated with DENR for reforestation of 75 hectares project. RISA later negotiated for another reforestation project in another barangay. RISA was awarded 45 hectares barren land to reforest. It planted 100,000 trees of different kinds.
“We continued planting trees., abaca and other crops for the last 20 years. Now we do not experience soil erosion and landslide. The 327,500 trees we jointly planted guarded our soil and land against erosion and landslide.
“Then, we started to plant abaca in our farms. We planted abaca in the vacant parts of our farms. We purchased land and started scientific planting of abaca. We shared our knowledge and technology to other barangays around Rosal-Ortega. We expanded our abaca planations. We studied the technology of planting, caring, harvesting and fiber stripping of abaca.
We shared the knowledge and technology to other barangay people. We bought a Stripping Machine and learned the technics of abaca fiber stripping, drying and marketing. We were on our way to a better life.”
Why Selected as Most Significant Story?
When Diakonia approved our Abaca planting project in 1996, we were able to buy 21 hectares of land for our tenant members. In these lands we developed the Abaca Pilot Farm. We planted abaca and trees of different kinds – the trees to serve as cover or shades for abaca. We planted about 18,000 more trees in the 21 hectares of land.
We also organized farmers associations that were affiliates of ROMPC in 12 barangays and sitios in the hinterlands of Libacao. The cooperative, through Diakonia, provided them with financial assistance for planting abaca. The primary target was to plant abaca. But the natural shading system that is part of the culture, has mobilized them to plant more fruit trees, coconuts and other leguminous trees in the pilot farm. These strenghtend and expanded the tree-planting activities of the project.
Added Values by Diakonia
We thank Bromma Baptist Church for the Ecological Farming program that led us to organized our cooperative and enabled us to start reforestation program in idle government lands. We also express our gratitude to Diakonia for helping us sustain our educational works and expand our reforestation program that successfully addressed the problems of erosion and landslide in several villages in Libacao, Aklan.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
We leared that all problems have solutions. Solutions to problems were not done in a day, or a year, or five years. But little by little, year by year, we worked to provide solutions to our problems. Jesus said, with faith we can move mountains to the sea. We transformed an idle and barren mountain land into a forest.
__________________________________________________________________________
Project Title: - Abaca Plantation & Production Pilot Project 1996-1999
Implementing Partner - Rosal-Ortega Multi-Purpose Cooperative
Project Location -Rosal, Libacao, Aklan
Story Teller -Rafael Nacuray
Story Writer -Giovanni Iguiz; December 7, 2006
Translated to English by - Hesther Bernal
(Original story written in Ilonggo)
Domain 2 -Change in People’s Participation in Development Activities
PARTNERSHIP IN DIVERSITY
Best Practice and Lessons Learned
Post Evaluation of DIAKONIA Philippine Program
PARTNERSHIP IN DIVERSITY was published December 2007 by Diakonia, Sweden
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 38 of 48)
← Previous: We Expanded "Hour of Discocery" Radio Ministry * Started Pub | Next: UIM moved to 6 municipalities in Central Iloilo and Capiz wo →
No comments:
Post a Comment