Rainforestation Training for Climate-Resilient Recovery

In 2013, one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded hit the central Philippines. Super typhoon Haiyan wreaked havoc to Eastern Samar and Leyte provinces, causing millions of casualties and damages. Approximately 4.1 million people were displaced.

The typhoon had a major impact on coconut production, one of the main sources of income in this region. The typhoon destroyed 13 million coconut trees in Eastern Samar and Leyte. This destruction devastated the livelihoods of over a million coconut farmers who are already among the poorest and most vulnerable in the country. Some farmers have replanted their lands with seedlings, but they still need to wait six to eight years for the trees to become productive. In the meantime, farmers are intercropping with vegetables and fruit trees for subsistence and short-term income sources.

Rehabilitating natural ecosystems is crucial in post-disaster recovery to support human livelihoods and to sustain the delivery of ecosystem goods and services, including a steady supply of water and protection from future extreme weather events. This is an integral part of a climate-resilient recovery strategy, in which communities are not only provided with assistance to recover from extreme climatic events but are also better equipped to deal with future disasters.

ELTI and ITEEM-VSU will conduct a Rainforestation training series in Eastern Samar and Leyte to address this gap in rehabilitation efforts. The series will rehabilitate damaged watershed areas and augment the current farming system in the surrounding areas using the Rainforestation approach. Developed by ITEEM-VSU, Rainforestation is a participatory strategy to implement reforestation with native species and agroforestry systems. The training will include discussion of results of the post-disaster site assessment, participatory watershed rehabilitation planning, individual farm plans and a hands-on demonstration of nursery practices. This training series will contribute to the long-term rebuilding and “building back better” initiative in the region.