Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND THE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Introduction

The sanctuary of the Kalanguya tribes is located in the mountainous areas of

Northern Luzon, Philippines. The government has declared most of these mountain areas

either forest reserves, watersheds, or national parks. The Kalanguya tribes live in the

mountain range of Caranglan in Nueva Ecija, others live on the other side of the

mountain range covering portions of Pangasinan, then upstream to Benguet Province, and

then upward to Ifugao (Dulunan, 2014).

In Nueva Ecija, members of the Kalanguya tribe are found in barangays

Capintalan, Putlan, Minuli, Salazar, and Binbin of the Municipality of Caranglan. They

believe in a supernatural being which they call "Kabunyan". Kabunyan to them is the

Almighty and Creator. However, since they have not yet seen Kabunyan, they also refer

to Him as "Agmattebew" (could not be seen or spirit). During planting and harvesting,

birth and death of people and other activities for livelihood, the "Mabaki," (Ritual/Prayer

Leader) asks Kabunyan for help (NCIP, 2008). Just like in many parts of the world our

country is experiencing deforestation and forest degradation caused by forest products

extraction (legal and illegal or poaching, fuel wood gathering, charcoal making, and non-

timber forest products collection), agricultural expansion (kaingin/ swidden cultivation),

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

infrastructure expansion (mining, road and hydropower dam construction) and

biophysical factors (climate change, typhoons, floods, landslides), (Dulay 2015).

Yet, indigenous farming systems and practices, including crop, seed production

and management had always motivated the agriculturists to develop an improved

agriculturally fit technology. This becomes needier in hilly areas, (by Anil singh Solanki;

Research Associate, Mass Media, ICAR, Barapani, 2009). To proactively respond to the

deteriorating condition of the forest, the government launched a lot of upland

development programs. Prominent among these programs was the Integrated Social

Forestry Program (ISFP), which vigorously promoted Agroforestry as the pillar

technology for the sustainable development of the uplands (Dulay, 2015).

Agroforestry is ‘managed both by human and nature,’ or by humans in a natural

way,” Agroforestry involved the planting of tree crops with agricultural crops and whose

tree produce may either be intended for lumber, fodder, food, and fiber. It is the most

appropriate farming system because it addresses both concerns for increased productivity

and enhanced ecological stability (Dulay 2015).

A farming system can be described both structurally and functionally.

Structurally, in each farming system, each component could be observed in relation with

the existing settings. For example, boundary, buildings, crops, animals located in a farm.

However, the structure of a farm may not be permanent. It changes with respect to the

agricultural crops grown and other components employed (Solanki 2009).

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

The preservation of traditional forms of farming knowledge and practices help

mountain biodiversity, enhances food security, and protect the world’s natural resources.

In our country, agroforestry, as a forest management strategy has been promoted by

community-based forest management (CBFM) in response to watershed and forest

degradation and climate change (Lantican 2018).

Over the years, Upland farming has been replaced by more profitable livelihood

activities. Indigenous farming practices are now being relegated and slowly being

forgotten. Therefore, to document these indigenous agroforestry systems before they are

thrown into oblivion. Philippine government has identified the Kalanguya, in general, to

be living below the poverty line. A study of their lifestyle, shows that they have

developed indigenous institutions and have a simple, sustainable economic system. With

the advent of the cash economy, the Kalanguya lifestyle began to yield to certain

commercial motivations. The indigenous life system where ecological concerns were

protected is gradually vanishing. With this development, the objectives of this study are

to document, identify, and describe the actual Kalanguya agroforestry farming systems

existing and practiced by Kalanguya farmers, determined the effects of these systems on

the environment and on the socio-economic status of the Kalanguya tribe in Carranglan

Nueva Ecija.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

Agroforestry Farming Systems of Kalanguya

Socioeconomic Effects of Effects of Problems/issues

profile of the agroforestry agroforestry related to
respondents farming systems farming systems agroforestry farming
on the forest and on the socio- systems
 Age
environment economic
 Sex  Declining
condition in the productivity
 Educational
community  Soil erosion
attainment
 amount of  Pest occurrence
monthly  Drought
income  Land grabbing
 No. of years  Lack of farm to
market road
in farming
 Lack of seeds
 Land
and planting
ownership
 materials
 Membership
 Lack of labourers
to various  Lack of budget
organizations for farm inputs
 Selling of land
 Agricultural land
use conversion
 Declining labour
force
 Discrimination

Figure 1. Research Paradigm of the Study

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

Objectives of the Study

Generally, the study aimed to determine the agroforestry farming systems of

Kalanguya in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija.

Specifically, the study aims to:

1. Describe the respondent’s socio-demographic profiles in terms of the following:

1.1 Age;
1.2 Sex;
1.3 Highest educational attainment;
1.4 Farmers’ monthly income;
1.5 Number of years in farming;
1.6 Land ownership; and
1.7 Membership to farmer’s organization.

2. Identify the specific types of agroforestry farming systems of Kalanguya;

2.1. Shifting cultivation (kaingin system);

2.2. Modified kaingin;
2.3. Intercropping/Multistorey cropping; and
2.4. Agroforestry farming.
3. Determine the present land use system of Kalanguya;

3.1. Garden;
3.2. Aquatic fish ponds;
3.3. Pasture land;
3.4 Bangkag; and
3.5. Agro-Ecotourism.

4. Classify agroforestry-based products from the farm as benefits in farming.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

4.1. Agrisilvopastoral (product of agriculture+forest trees+raising animals);

4.2. Silvipastoral (product of agriculture + forest trees);
4.3. Silvofisheries (forest trees + fisheries); and
4.4. Agro pastoral (product of agriculture + raising animals).
5. Determine the socio-economic environmental effects of agroforestry farming systems

on the life of IPs.

6. Determining the socio-political issues beset to agroforestry farming systems in the

community.

6.1. Government programs;

6.2 Trainings;
6.3 Support funding;
6.4 Support to agricultural inputs; and
6.5 Marketing of products.
7. Identify the problems/issues related to their agroforestry farming systems.

7.1 Decline productivity;

7.2 Soil erosion;
7.3. Pest and plant diseases occurrence;
7.4 Drought;
7.5 Mortality of planted plants;
7.6 Trespassing of other animals in the farm;
7.7 Theft of agricultural products from the farm;
7.8. Land grabbing;
7.9. Lack of farm to market road;
7.10. Lack of seeds and planting materials;
7.11. Lack of laborers;
7.12. Lack of budget for farm inputs;
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NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

7.13 Selling of land;

7.14. Agricultural land use conversion;
7.15. Declining labor force; and
7.16. Discrimination.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

Definition of Terms

The terminologies was defined operationally for the readers to easily understand

Agroforestry- is a collective name for land-use systems and technologies where woody

perennials (trees, shrubs, palms, bamboos, etc.) are deliberately used on the same land-

management units as agricultural crops and/or animals, in some form of spatial

arrangement or temporal sequence.

Bangkag-planting of vegetables crops, fruits and especially rice on either slope or flat

area in the upland and grow by waiting to be watered by the rain.

Farming System- a complex interrelated matrix of soil, plants, animals, implements,

power, labor, capital and other inputs controlled in part by farming families and influence

by varying degrees by political, economic, institutional and social forces that operate at

many levels.

Garden- a slightly slope area, wherein they planted different kinds of vegetables, fruits,

and trees.

Inum-an/Uma- a kalanguya word as another term for shifting cultivation/Kaingin.

Modified Kaingin- modernized type of kaingin system. Instead of burning they used

chemicals in extinguishing weeds before planting a crops.

Shifting cultivation- also known as Swidden agriculture that refers to a technique of

rotational farming in which land is cleared for cultivation (normally by fire) and left to

regenerate after a few years.

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

Significance of the Study

The result of the study was contributed for the benefit of the following:

Kalanguya upland farmers- for IPs in the community, their farming systems are known

existed and recognized. Farmers’ will have an idea to improve and solve some issues

related to their farming systems that they were facing.

LGUs (Local Government Unit) – the results of the study may serve as their guide to

come up with a solution on the problems and help upland farmers related to the

agroforestry farming systems. Though, there are previous studies about this topic that was

conducted there are also lot of differences in terms of location/area where the study is

conducted, the respondents and its group/tribes and language.

Extension Workers- the results may serve as useful guide for the program to be planned

and implemented.

Researchers- for it may serve as their guide, reference and basis in conceptualizing

future studies.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The scope of this study was determined the agroforestry farming systems of

Kalanguya, and its socioeconomic profile of the respondents, also the effects of

agroforestry farming systems on the forest and environment, the effects of agroforestry

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 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Gabaldon Campus
Gabaldon Nueva Ecija
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

farming systems on the socio-economic condition in the community, the issues in relation

to their agroforestry farming systems and recommend possible solutions in the above-

mentioned issues. The study was conducted and is limited only to Kalanguya upland

farmers in Carranglan Nueva Ecija.

Time and Place of the Study

This research was conducted at Carranglan Nueva Ecija, specifically the selected

four barangays; namely: Capintalan, Minuli, Putlan and Salazar on December 31, 2021

up to March 26, 2022. The conduct of this study lasted 12 weeks and 5days to complete.

The researcher chose this locale because this is where the majority of ethnic tribes of

Kalanguya reside.

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