The role of Agroforestry socio

economic and Development of

Living in Ifugao
 Researchers:

 Bumad-ang Ponciano
 Guinumpa Rudy
 Adchag Ricsan
Introduction

Agroforestry is the integration of trees in farming

systems and their management in rural landscapes to
enhance productivity, profitability, diversity and ecosystem
sustainability. This is so far the best solution to ecological
degradation. There is now a worldwide acceptance of
agroforestry as the most appropriate technological approach
to improve the upland areas. In CAR, agroforestry
development was listed in the Regional Development Plan of
2004-2010 as one of the programs that will support the
watershed cradle.
 In the northern part of the Luzon countryside, there are
areas occupied by indigenous people, which are known
because of their promising indigenous agroforestry system.
The most famous among them is the Province of Ifugao
whose natives developed the engineering marvel – the rice
terraces, considered as the 8th Wonder of the World. Its
practices have been developed over many generations and
important lessons can be drawn from them that are relevant to
the restoration of the forest and the grandeur of natural
resources.
 Over the years, changes have taken place both in the
physical and socio-economic milieu of the Ifugaos that made
many of them switch to other economic endeavours. Upland
farming has been replaced by more profitable livelihood
activities. Indigenous farming practices like the rice terraces
are now being relegated and slowly being forgotten.
Indigenous technical knowledge of the Ifugaos, are now being
threatened. There is an imperative need, therefore, to
document these indigenous agroforestry systems before they
are thrown into oblivion.
 The Ifugaos are considered traditional
practitioners of agroforestry. The Ifugaos
adopted agroforestry in woodlots and multiple
cropping in swiddens as an economic
insurance in case of crop failure in the
terraces. The integration of value-added tree
crops and herbs in natural muyong vegetation
and swiddens has been found to be highly
compatible.
 A study by Rondolo (2001) found that almost all
woodlots contained commercial plantings of coffee
(88 percent), bananas (66 percent), and citrus (49
percent). Edible rattan (Calamus manillensis, littuko)
is also included in almost all woodlots. Rattan is
integrated in woodlots for its edible fruits and
poles/canes for handicraft. Bettle palm (Areca
catechu) and ikmo (Piper spp.) are also cultivated in
the woodlots for bettle nut chewing, ritual purposes
and their medicinal values.
 The study will be conducted to document,
identify, and describe the actual indigenous
Agroforestry systems of the Ifugaos. It also
determined the effect of these systems on the
environment and on the socio-economic status of the
Ifugaos as well as the impact to the status of living.
Objectives of the study:

Generally, this study aims to assess the impacts of Agro-Forestry in the

development of the living status of living in Ifugao.

Specifically it seeks to:

1. Determine the agroforestry practices in the province of Ifugao?

2. Determine the consideration by the people in Ifugao in practicing agroforestry?

3. Determine the socio important of the Ifugao?

METHODOLOGY
METHOD
This research will use a mixed method (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003)
design, which is a procedure for collecting, analyzing and “mixing” both
quantitative and qualitative data at some stage of the research process
within a single study, to understand a research problem more completely
(Creswell, 2002). The rationale for mixing is that neither quantitative nor
qualitative methods are sufficient by themselves to capture the trends and
details of the situation. When used in combination, quantitative and
qualitative methods complement each other and allow for more complete
analysis (Green, Caracelli, & Graham, 1989, Tashakkori & Teddie, 1998).
 In quantitative research, the researchers will rely on numerical data
(Charles & Mertler, 2002). They will use post positivist claims for
developing knowledge, such as cause and effect thinking, reduction to
specific variables, hypotheses and questions, use of measurement and
observation, and the test of theories. The researchers isolate variables
and causally relate them to determine the magnitude and frequency of
relationships. In addition, researchers determine which variables to
investigate and choose instruments, which will yield highly reliable and
valid scores.
 Alternatively, qualitative research is “an inquiry process of
understanding” where the researchers develops a “complex, holistic
picture, analyzes words, reports detailed views of informants, and
conducts the study in a natural setting” (Creswell, 1998, p. 15). In this
approach, the researchers make knowledge claims based on the
constructivist (Guba & Lincoln, 1982) or advocacy/participatory (Mertens,
2003,) perspectives. In qualitative research, data is collected from those
immersed in everyday life of the setting in which the study is framed.
Data analysis is based on the values that these participants perceive for
their world. Ultimately, it “produces an understanding of the problem
based on multiple contextual factors” (Miller, 2000).
In a mixed method approach, the researchers will use interview and
survey-method to gather data from 70 farmers in the Municipality of
Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista, Mayoyao and Banaue including 15 employees
of the DENR. The researchers will visit the respondents to give
questionnaires and will interview them after.
RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT
The research will be conducted in Municipality of Mayoyao,
Aguinaldo, Alfonso Lista and Banaue Ifugao. These four
municipalities will be a great help in the study because Agroforestry
as a farming system was observed.
RESPONDENTS
The respondents of this study are the 70 farmers and 15 Employees
of DENR Alfonso Lista.
 DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

The researchers will conduct an orientation relating to the

purpose, process, and benefits of the study. They will be conducting
a field visit to distribute questionnaires as a source for securing the
required data. This uses a standardized questionnaire. The survey
questionnaire incorporates the profile of the respondents and the
questions on the role of Agroforestry socio economic and
Development of Living in Ifugao.
Likewise, respondents will be informed regarding the objectives of
the study and reassured that their identity will be kept confidential
and that the result will be used only for academic purposes. More
importantly, all the respondents are not harmed or abused, physically
and/or psychologically, during the conduct of the study.
Moreover, researcher will be employed in the gathering of data.
After which, the data will be collated, tabulated and subject for
statistical analysis
 STATISTICAL TOOLS OR DATA ANALYSIS

The data that will be collected and entered into the data matrix using
the Software of Microsoft Excel with the statistical procedure in a
frequency distribution, weighted mean, and percentage of the mean score.