Employment Generating Capability of Smallholder Upland Development Projects in Selected CBFM sites in the Philippines

Abstract

Smallholder upland development projects like Community-Based
Forest Management (CBFM) play vital roles in uplifting the
socio-economic conditions of community members whose
employment and income depend on various activities within the
CBFM. Twenty people’s organizations (POs) awarded with
varying areas of forest land under the CBFM program in
different regions of the Philippines were visited to document and
analyze the program’s impacts in terms of employment and
income generation. Through focus group discussions (FGD) and
key informant interviews (KIIs) with CBFM implementers,
beneficiaries, and other actors involved in various CBFM
activities, the levels of employment generated and related issues
and concerns about the program were identified and determined.
A number of CBFM policy issuances designed to provide
employment opportunities to upland communities and localized
employment policies and practices within the POs were also
reviewed and analyzed. The results showed that generally, the
CBFM program was able to alleviate employment problems in
the community especially during the period coinciding with the
Comprehensive Site Development (CSD) phase when members
were employed in the CBFM. However, benefits were
inequitably distributed as non-PO members were seldom hired.
Majority of the POs focused on short-term benefits like their
income share from timber harvesting. The enthusiasm and
interest of PO members waned with the termination of funding
support and the suspension of harvesting and utilization permits.
Hence, alternative forest-based employment and livelihood
activities aside from timber utilization should be available in
CBFM areas. Technical and institutional support to enhance the
employment generating capacity of the CBFM program need to
be strengthened.