Indiscriminate
logging and other traditional farming practices had resulted
in several problems for the agricultural community of Davao
del Sur. Among which were the prevalent cases of barren
soil and dry watersheds. In 1993, eight months of drought
and locus infestation brought hard times upon the community
and threatened to inalienably alter their source of livelihood
forever.
Later
on that same year, the municipal government of Davao del
Sur, together with concerned citizens, set up a program
to achieve sustainable agricultural productivity and food
sufficiency in the uplands. This they planned to accomplish
by rehabilitating the denuded forests. In line with this,
three key activities were implemented. First was the application
of sloping agricultural technology to the upland farms of
Davao. These were contoured with hedgerows, flamingia and
resoni. Second, a 2,500 square meter tree park was established
for preservation purposes. Third, livestock breeding was
promoted to ensure another means of augmenting the family
income. However, what ensured the success of this initiative
was the active involvement of the beneficiary group in all
phases of the program, especially in the pro-active management
of the implementation phase of pro-environmental policies
and programs.
Now
all the indigenous B’laans who have assisted during
development and implementation program can reap the tangible
benefits earned through the program.
