Documentation of Agroforestry Farming Systems in Ifugao, Philippines

Ifugaos have practiced agriculture for centuries despite their relatively mountainous land. They adapted their agro-forestry farming system to the environment and were able to practice both wet and dry agriculture. They laboured to develop the watershed or the forested areas because they know that they are interdependent to each other. However, because of the topographical differences within the province, like in Alfonso Lista, Lamut, and Lagawe wherein there are largely flat lands while the wider chunk of the province is mountainous, there is a slight to almost entirely different agro-forestry system being practiced by the farmers. Aside from the physical condition of the land, the existence of sub-tribes of Ifugaos with diverse cultures gives rise to different agro-forestry farming systems in the province aside from the two indigenous systems the kaingin or slash and burn farming and terracing to establish rice terraces. The kind of agro-forestry farming system being practiced in the locality affects the utilization of the land and other resources. This explains why the forest cover in some parts of the province has diminished while in some areas, lush green forest cover still exists. A set of interview questionnaires were given to the respondents to obtain primary data, while the secondary data were taken from reports submitted by those who are directly involved in the provincial office concerned. The study showed that agro-silvicultural farming system is the most commonly practiced system by the respondents. Eighty-seven percent (87 %) of agro-silvicultural farmers were readily observed by the researchers in the different study sites. The crops were grown at random due to the mountainous and in some cases, steep topographic nature of the land. The study also showed that Ifugao farmers planted trees along their agricultural crops for additional income and protection against soil erosion. Descriptive analysis was used to document the agro-forestry farming systems for the kinds of plants commonly planted in the agro-forestry farms and problems met by the farmers in Ifugao