Certificate of stewardship contract and watershed management: a comparative study between participants and non-participants of integrated social forestry program

Abstract

Management of the watersheds is vital for the community. In the Philippines, issuance of Certificate of Stewardship Contract (CSC) had been a tool to motivate upland dwellers to efficiently use the watersheds through conservation farming that follows agroforestry principles. The study explored the systems of land-use and cropping patterns, and soil and water conservation practices of farmers with CSC and without CSC inside a watershed area. Household survey, focus group discussions, in-depth interview and site visits were conducted for information gathering. The study findings revealed that farmers with CSC had more types of crops and practice more non-conservation practices such as utilization of non-timber forest products from the forests, and use of chemicals in the farms. The study findings also revealed that CSC did not influence the existing farming systems of the upland dwellers. Both groups of farmers generally believed that people should actively participate in watershed management and Integrated Social Forestry Program (ISFP), but they do not practice conservation farming in reality. Thus, the study recommended that People’s Organization should be re-organized towards attainment of watershed protection and management, and community development. Merging ISFP with CBFM Programme of the government is a good approach but there should be strict monitoring of upland dwellers’ activities inside the watershed area. Without strict government monitoring, issuance of CSC is not recommended.