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Environmental degradation, diminishing food productivity and high population growth are common problems in rural areas of northern and central Mindanao in the Philippines. An IFAD-funded project is demonstrating that an integrated, holistic approach to development, driven by the communities themselves, can generate substantial and lasting change.

The village of Mabahin in the province of Surigao del Sur is a marine paradise. Its coral reefs teem with brightly coloured fish, and plentiful shrimp and crab shelter in its mangrove forests.

Just five years ago, Mabahin looked quite different. Overfishing and other harmful fishing practices had virtually destroyed the coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangroves, and had drastically reduced the catch. For local people, who rely mainly on the bounty of the seas for their sustenance and livelihoods, this was disastrous. Less catch meant less cash for basic needs. They were sinking deeper into poverty.

“Our sea was literally empty,” says Joel Alzate, chairperson of the Mabahin Woodcraft Multipurpose Cooperative, formed in 2006 to protect the 40 hectare marine area. “There were no fish to be found, owing to blast fishing and other destructive activities. We had to sell what we did manage to catch so we could buy cheaper foods, such as rice and salted fish.”

Now, Mabahin fishers catch as much as 10 kilos of fish after just one hour at sea, compared to an average catch of only 2 kilos in 2005. Live coral growth has increased by more than 21 per cent, and the number of butterfly fish has doubled. The protection scheme has been so successful that it has been integrated into the local municipality’s development plan. This will help ensure a steady flow of funds towards monitoring and protection in the future.

Empowering rural communities to protect and manage their natural resources is the cornerstone of all activities carried out by the IFAD-supported Northern Mindanao Community Initiatives and Resource Management Project (NMCIREMP), which operates in the northern and central areas of the island.

In Mabahin, as in other coastal areas, the project has helped local people work together to create a sustainable coastal management programme and a community-based monitoring system. The project also provides legal and technical support, so that residents are able to comply with national fishery laws. The inhabitants of Mabahin, having seen the benefits of prudent fishing, are now committed to resource management.

Land rights for indigenous tribes

From the coast to the remote highlands of the interior, the landscape may change, but the problems – degradation of natural resources and worsening poverty – remain the same. Across the project area, communities are encouraged to recognize the importance of adopting better natural resource management practices. With the help of seed funds provided by the project, they are investing in activities such as reforestation, watershed development, natural farming technologies and sustainable fishing.

Some of the most environmentally fragile areas are the highlands, which are almost exclusively inhabited by indigenous tribes. Living in extreme poverty, cut off from schools, health care, financial services and markets, they make up about 10 per cent of the island’s population. Mindanao’s tribal peoples lack the means to lift themselves out of poverty and are forced to exploit dwindling resources for food and fuel. Many of the groups do not even have an area of land to call their own.

The project is helping tribal groups assert their right to own and manage the land they have traditionally inhabited. Once ownership is secured, indigenous groups receive ‘ancestral domain’ titles. They can then begin to formulate a sustainable development and protection plan for their land. Working with indigenous groups is a challenge, as they require additional support to overcome cultural, educational and linguistic barriers. But there have been some significant successes.

The Higaunon tribe of Claveria, in the province of Misamis Oriental, has reclaimed self-governance after centuries of powerlessness. The project helped the tribe revive customary laws and traditions that had long been abandoned. The traditional tribal council has now been formalized as a local government unit and has the authority to resolve issues within its boundaries.

“This was a notable achievement,” says Sana Jatta, IFAD Country Programme Manager for the Philippines. “We have helped the Higaunon reassert their political and legal systems and enabled them to participate in local governance. This is the first example of its kind in the Philippines. We strongly believe that owning and managing their own land and livelihoods is key to the emancipation of these peoples and to the sustainability of their way of life.”

Communities direct their own development activities

The project has helped local communities establish self-help groups, providing them with relevant training and seed funds for development activities. The groups work with communities to identify priority activities – from resource management to investing in infrastructure and services. When groups prove they can function successfully, they are promoted to the status of ‘community institutions’ and receive plots of land to cultivate collectively.

The self-help group Banal na Kaharian ng Dios na Buhay was formed by farmers from Santa Fe, a depressed area 16 kilometres from the nearest town, Prosperidad, where cassava is the local staple crop. The group used their seed-fund allowance to develop a cassava centre, and the project trained them in cassava production and processing. With a small initial cash outlay and a lot of hard work, the group began to produce cakes, sweets and other products made from cassava flour, such as cassava chips, which they sell as a cheap and nutritious snack.

The farmers began by selling their snacks to teachers and pupils at local schools. Eventually, they were able to reach more profitable markets further afield. Today their “C3” cassava chip brand is sold in supermarkets, canteens and stores in neighbouring cities. Daily incomes have risen from 20 to 420 Philippine pesos (from about US$0.42 to US$8.85), and the group has invested its profits in a convenience store.

In recognition of their hard work and organizational ability, the project has helped the Santa Fe self-help group secure a three-hectare plot of land on which to cultivate rubber.

Strength in unity

All over northern and central Mindanao, communities are finding ways to break out of poverty by coming together in groups and cooperatives.

The Manobo and Mamanwa clans of the hinterlands of Cortes, in the province of Surigao del Sur, have overcome their tribal differences and joined forces to form a community self-help group. The group, Kahiusahan Tribung Mamanwa og Manobo sa Lanuza, Cortes og Tandag (KATRIMMA), set up a sari-sari, or convenience store, which brings basic foodstuffs and other essential goods to their villages. It also offers credit to trusted customers. The sari-sari store has proved profitable, and the group has received a banana plantation from the project in recognition of its organizational abilities. The communities are active in protecting their territories from illegal logging.

“The project has given us hope, and enabled us to look forward to the future,” says Carmelito Montenegro, chairperson of KATRIMMA.

Changing outlooks

Overall, the project has had impressive results, enforcing local regulations to protect marine, coastal and watershed areas throughout the target area. Annual incomes for 14,500 households have risen by 5 per cent. Food security has improved in most of the project area. Greater solidarity among communities has also helped resolve conflicts among tribal leaders, and strengthened an understanding of customary laws, indigenous knowledge, practices and systems among indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.

One of the project’s greatest achievements is in changing attitudes. People are waking up to the opportunities available to them, and to the fact that they themselves can be the engines of change, especially if they are managing the resources they depend on. The enthusiasm and entrepreneurial verve are even spilling over into areas not covered by the project. The municipality of Prosperidad, for example, is so impressed by the way the seed-fund approach has stimulated income-generating opportunities that it has decided to replicate the funds in areas not covered by the project.

“We journeyed with rural poor people as they persevered in attaining a better way of life for themselves and their children,” says Antonio Menor, NMCIREMP Project Director. “Our task was immensely challenging, but also very rewarding. As we come to the close of our six-year commitment, doors are open for these people to sustain what they have started and to move forward with bigger strides. We gave them opportunities and they did the rest.”
 

Source: IFAD