The contribution of the Upland Resource and Development Centre in improving the triple bottom line returns through integrated and sustainable upland on-farm RD

摘要

The Upland Resource and Development Centre (URDC) is a four-year old R & D arm under the Office of the President of the Isabela State University. It has the intention to provide a decision support system for program planners and policy makers as well as to demonstrate the economic viability and ecological soundness of an upland technology ‘mix’ that can address concerns for both increased food production and biodiversity conservation. The Centre is envisaged to become a resource and learning institution on upland development in Cagayan Valley Region, Northeastern Philippines, with special focus on sustainable land use technology transfer, buffer zone management and landscape ecology This being the case, the URDC was able to form a Local Agroforestry IEC Team in Limbauan, San Pablo, Isabela in its first year of operation through partnership with the Local Government Unit (LGU) of San Pablo and the Philippine Agroforestry Education and Research Network (PAFERN). Using Community Participatory Action-Research (CPAR), it is now in the second year of implementation of its banner project ‘Integrated and Sustainable Upland On-Farm R&D Project’ in two municipalities of Isabela (San Pablo and San Mariano), through partnerships with the two LGUs and DA-BAR (Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research). It is expected to arrive at the combination of upland technologies that can give the highest economic returns with the least pressure on the natural resources while addressing the socio-cultural needs of the farmers. While it is still difficult, at this point in time, to measure the immediate economic and environmental impacts of the initial farm developments established by the project, nevertheless, the URDC is optimistic of its expectations because the farmer-partners are gradually shifting from pure corn farming to intercropping and crop rotation at their own accord.