Landcare in the Philippines: Enhancing Farmer Adoption of  Simple Conservation Practices

Landcare in the Philippines: Stories of People and Places  Author(s): J Metcalfe (ed) 

Sustainable land use is critical for the development of the Philippine uplands, where about 18 million people live. Philippines Landcare is a movement of farmer-led organizations that share knowledge about sustainable and profitable agriculture on sloping lands while conserving natural resources. Initiated in Claveria, Northern Mindanao, the Philippines, the Landcare movement is spreading rapidly to many municipalities on Mindanao and the Visayan islands within the Philippines.

Prior to the development of the project, some farmers in the region had already worked directly with ICRAF. It was one of these farmers who discovered the contour system that became known as natural vegetative strips (NVS), and it was this technology, further tested and developed by ICRAF, which formed the base of future Landcare activities. NVS are narrow strips of unploughed land left along the land's contours in which natural vegetation is allowed to regrow into a thick, protective cover. The strips, which are about 50 centimetres wide and are spaced 5-10 metres apart, control soil erosion, and help filter pesticides from water runoff. They also provide a foundation for developing more complex agroforestry systems including fodder, fruit and timber trees. It was found that the NVS provided a simple solution to the technical constraints of soil conservation on slopes.