COFFEE growers will soon benefit from their pro-environment services.
Recognizing the role of coffee growers for their effort in the conservation of biodiversity, soil and water resources, and carbon sequestration in the province, a marketing company based in Texas, United States has identified Tublay, Benguet as trial site for the reward of environmental services they provided.
Montañosa LLC-USA representative Domini Mariano said growing coffee and other fruit tree vegetations within the farms and backyards of farmers rehabilitate natural resources. It also mitigates climate change through carbon sequestration.
Coffee growers in the region are known for their organic agro-forestry practices and their involvement in watershed rehabilitation and protection.
"These environmental services must be rewarded to farmers and payments will be given in kind like coffee seedlings, assistance, trainings, or other incentives. Also, the coffee products go to the farmers," Mariano said.
"Aside from protecting the environment, this reward scheme also seeks to increase the annual income of a farmer, promote voluntarism, and teamwork," he added.
Payment of environmental services is now an emerging scheme in an agro-forestry development program in the country.
Initially, the payment scheme was tested earlier at Kalahan, Nueva Viscaya and in Bakun, Benguet.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources backed the project and encouraged farmers to grow coffee in their backyards or establish coffee plantations.
Forester Imelda Casiwan of DENR-CAR said the agency has incorporated the establishment of coffee plantation under the National Greening Program. They also support people's organization involved in coffee plantation.
Forester Casiwan disclosed DENR-CAR has already has established a coffee plantation of 1123 hectares in Benguet since 2011.
DENR-CAR aims to establish 2,891 hectares of coffee plantation in the region this year, of which 468 hectares will be in Benguet. (Danny Killip)