Shared on Facebook is the above image from the article by Michael A Bengwayan, “RP Forestry Weds Science With Indigenous Knowledge – OpEd” (13 January 2020, Eurasia Review[1]).
The concept I call it now Garden in a Forest, GiaF. That name is new, but the concept of agroforestryis old, like the story of cacao & trees. Cacaoforest.org says[2]:
Cocoa agroforests are found in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Theobroma cacao naturally grows in the lower strata of the tropical forest with weak light and high humidity. The presence of shade species in agroforestry systems is thought to filter access to light, ameliorating the microclimate, while storing water and nutrient for the cocoa plant.
Now, Mr Bengwayan is talking excitedly about an agroforestry place called “Habitat” in mountainous Benguet in northern Philippines, 30 years old. I should know the feeling, because the name “Habitat” is exactly the one I assigned to the quarterly popular magazine of the Forest Research Institute based in Los Baños, Laguna – and my first article in the maiden issue was about agroforestry! Some 40 years ago. I had visited Pastor Delbert Rice in Imugan, Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, who was helping the mountain tribe Ikalahan in their hillside farming. I saw a series of organic-matter trenches constructed to stop the water from rushing off the hill and eroding the soil.
In his Eurasia Reviewarticle, Mr Bengwayan describes his Habitat:
Situated in this landslide-prone municipality of Benguet in a once-eroded five hectare area, the model called the “Habitat”, showcases a pine tree (Pinus kesiya/insularis) woodlot, nitrogen-fixing tree-based soil and conservation system, native tree and shrub buffer zone that feeds a spring to support 25 families, an Arabica coffee-pineapple agroforestry, and mixed stands of cacao, lanzones, pomelo, santol, mango, lemon and rambutan.
In that 5-ha mountaintop of 18% plus slope grow 3,000 pine trees, other trees, shrubs, bamboo and grass species. Growing below the pine trees are the shrub rono (Miscanthus chinensis, from China), hedges of leguminous trees such as Calliandra calothyrsus (from Mexico), large-leaf Flemingia (Flemingia macrophylla, Taiwan), (Desmodium rensonii, also Mexico), bamboo, giant ferns, Ficus nota, Ficus pseudopalma and non-PH-native Ficus ulmifolia, Pittosporum resineferum as well as rambutan (Indonesia).
Such biodiversity! (But too many pine trees.)
I wonder why Mr Bengwayan is not happily recommending more plantings of coffee, pineapple, cacao, lanzones, pomelo, santol, mango, lemon, and rambutan. There should be more of these to make those 25 families richer in terms of fruit sales to the lowlanders. Then, yes, Habitat can claim to be a “Garden in a Forest,” GiaF – “agroforestry” is such a boring term to use on such a lovely place. Let us have more GiaFs!
And make Habitat even worthier of visits or, at least, personal videos uploaded on YouTube!
Also, note that I noted the origins of those exotic trees, at least 6; caveat: Species introduced into a place always bring foreign pests and diseases.
Indigenous knowledge is essential. Biodiversity is paramount. Biodiversity means you have to learn to love your own!@517
[1]https://www.eurasiareview.com/13012020-rp-forestry-weds-science-with-indigenous-knowledge-oped/?fbclid=IwAR2za6NwQ9Cr1A08r3aMSlSCXI-tPCc5ksYg73FSygcu1JaQLLhkVjZ024M#.XhvjFDmG1qs.facebook
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