As part of its push to promote Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices in the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor (EMBC), the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded Biodiversity Corridor Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines, along with the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM), held consultation workshops with selected local government units (LGUs) in Eastern Mindanao to discuss farm development plans and related activities for identified SLM exemplar sites in the corridor.
The workshops, conducted in Butuan City and Mati City last 20 and 22 February 2024, respectively, were attended by representatives and stakeholders from the Provincial Environment Office of Surigao del Sur, DENR PENRO Davao Oriental, and the LGUs of Bayugan, Agusan del Sur; Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte; Marihatag and Tagbina in Surigao del Sur; and Manay and Tarragona in Davao Oriental.
Experts from DA-BSWM presented comprehensive farm development plans that are tailored to unique needs of the 12 potential SLM exemplar sites that will be established across the EMBC. These sites, each with an approximate area of five hectares, will serve as “proof of practice” in demonstrating the viability and economic benefits of SLM and biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices (BDFAPs) in the corridor.
To properly engage the LGUs in activities related to the SLM exemplar sites, memoranda of agreement were also presented and discussed to delineate the roles and responsibilities of all partners and stakeholders involved to ensure effective coordination in rolling out SLM activities.
LGU participants were also treated to a session on mainstreaming SLM technologies in their respective land use plans through the concept of Strategic Agriculture and Fisheries Development Zone (SAFDZ) in EMBC. The discussion provided valuable insights into integrating SLM practices into broader regional planning frameworks and promoting synergy between biodiversity conservation and agricultural development.
Through the BD Corridor Project, the DENR, DA-BSWM, and partners are championing SLM strategies that can help address rapid degradation of lands, fragmentation of forests and natural habitats, and decline of soil productivity in the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor caused by unsustainable agricultural practices and extractive industries.
The project envisions the exemplar sites to become effective “learning nodes” for farmer groups, cooperatives, and people’s organizations to pick up SLM practices and technologies that fit their needs and to promote wider adoption of SLM approaches across the corridor.