The project entitled “Resilience-Building Among Smallholder Farmers of Selected Upland Farming Communities in the Province of Isabela, Philippines” is funded by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN). It is being implemented by the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Institute of Agroforestry (UPLB-IAF) and the Isabela State University (ISU), Cabagan Campus in collaboration with the Local Government Units (LGUs) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, Isabela (DENR-PENRO), and City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).

The project primarily aims to enhance the resilience of smallholder upland farmers in Isabela who are considered vulnerable to external shocks/risks such as pandemic, climate change and natural calamities. As external shocks are inevitable, there is a need to build the resilience of the agricultural sector specially in developing nations such as the Philippines, particularly its upland farming communities. This can be done through redesigning of their agricultural production systems that are based on the sustainable use of natural resources such as agroforestry system. Hence, the necessity to determine the current status of agroforestry program and policy in selected municipalities as well as the gaps, issues and concerns that need to be addressed.

This APN-funded project employs a participatory approach thus, the evaluation of the current state of Agroforestry Program and Policy was done using the Self-Assessment Workshop.  These information will serve as an input for policy recommendations that can serve as the instrument of the project collaborators and stakeholders in lobbying with local policy makers towards mainstreaming agroforestry programs in their local development programs/agenda.