MANILA - The Japanese Embassy in the Philippines formally turned over ten (10) completed agroforestry support facilities to different municipalities in Iloilo to help support and increase revenues of communities in the said areas.
The turnover ceremony was held in Calinog, Iloilo last January 26, 2024 and was led by First Secretary and Agriculture Attache’ TACHIKAWA Jumpei of the Japanese Embassy in Manila, together with officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), headed by OIC-Assistant Secretary For Field Operations-Western Mindanao Arleigh Adorable, DENR Regional Executive Director Livino Duran, Calinog Municipal Mayor Francisco Calvo and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines Office Project Formulation Advisor TAKAO Ryoko.
Photo courtesy of Embassy of Japan in the PH
The agroforestry support facilities were turned over in the municipalities of Calinog, Lambunao, and Janiuay, which consists of “irrigation pipeline sytems, access roads, pathways, and bridges with the aim to connect communities to markets, boost their access to social services, and help sustain community-based forestry initiatives.”
The embassy also mentioned that a coffee processing facility in Janiuay was also constructed to further develop coffee processing and boost livelihood in Iloilo.
Photo courtesy of Embassy of Japan in the PH
The initiative is part of the 9.244 billion yen Forestland Management Project (FMP) of the Government of Japan through the collaboration of JICA and DENR.
The FMP seeks to protect 71,300 hectares of forests in the country's watershed areas Upper Magat and Cagayan River Basins, Pampanga River Basin, and the Jalaur River Basin, covering the provinces of Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, and Iloilo.
