by Victor B. Asio, Dept. of Soil Science, VSU
a) The authors
The Rainforestation concept
was developed in 1992 by Dr. Josef Margraf (born: 03 April 1953, died: 26
January 2010) the Project Manager of the ViSCA-GTZ Applied Tropical Ecology
Project (Philippine-Germany Environmental Research Program) which ran from 1989
to 1999. Dr. Margraf was born in Bayern Germany, studied biology at the
University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart and later specialized in tropical agro-ecology
at the same university. He spent years in Ifugao, Northern Luzon conducting his
dissertation on the ecology of the Banaue rice terraces under the supervision
of the renowned agro-ecologist Prof. Dr. Werner Koch. He obtained his
doctorate degree (Dr.sc.agr.) from the University of Hohenheim in 1985.
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| Dr. Margraf and his wife in China (source:newnordicsavesplants.wordpress.com) |
Dr.
Margraf was a soft-spoken, friendly, and kind person. In my personal opinion
having known him for almost a decade, he was a brilliant thinker who loved to discuss
with anyone about his ecological ideas. A genuine ecologist, he would sometimes
sleep overnight below the canopy of a giant ficus tree (locally called balete), to
observe the insect diversity, in Mt. Pangasugan. In his past time, he loved playing
classical guitar and reading books. In the 1980s, he founded the publishing
house Verlag Josef Margraf which in later years became Margraf Publishers Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH. In 1997, after
about 9 years at ViSCA, he left for another GTZ project titled Tropical Forest Ecosystems Management in
Yunnan, China where he eventually married the Chinese journalist Mingou Li in
2000 with whom he had two daughters Linda and Vanda. In China, he continued his
passion for rainforest conservation at a much larger scale and with much more success.
In September 2010 he was posthumously awarded the “Green Hero of China”.
 |
| The daughters of Dr. Margraf (Source: New Word Press) |
The
co-author of the concept was the Filipino counterpart of the ViSCA-GTZ Tropical
Ecology Project, Dr. Paciencia P. Milan, a renowned biologist, outstanding research manager, and passionate environmentalist
who later became the 4th president of ViSCA (renamed Leyte State
University). Dr. Milan earned her PhD in Biology from Bowling Green State
University, USA in 1985 and her BS in 1967 and MS in 1977 from the University
of San Carlos. Primarily for developing and promoting the Rainforestation, she was awarded the Hugh Greenwood Environmental Science Award from
the National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines. It was due to her outstanding advocacy and good
connections in the higher-ups of the government, that the Rainforestation concept
was adopted as a national reforestation strategy of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources in 2004 through the Memorandum Circular
2004-06.
 |
| Dr. Paciencia Po Milan |
b) The other major contributors
The VSU faculty
who have made major contributions to the Rainforestation concept were: Ma. Juliet “Neneng”
C. Ceniza (entomology), Buenaventura B. Dargantes (socio-ecology), Dr. Salome
B. Bulayog (environmental economics), and V.B. Asio (soil science & geo-ecology).
In one
long conversation that I had with Dr. Margraf in a Café shop when he visited me in Giessen,
Germany in 1992 (I was there studying soil science, geography, and plant
nutrition), he confided that he was so concerned about the widespread
destruction of the tropical rainforest. He mentioned that he was in the process
of finalizing a concept to rehabilitate degraded lands using native tree
species. He said that he was impressed by the Bogor Botanical Garden in Indonesia established by the Dutch in 1815 which boasts a rich collection of mostly native trees and other tropical
plants. The famous garden is a clear demonstration that indigenous rain forest tree species can be cultivated.
He told me that he needed the help of the ViSCA
faculty members who were at the time pursuing their doctorate degrees in
Germany especially M.J. C. Ceniza, B.B. Dargantes, and myself. So, when
I returned to Leyte from Germany for my one-year fieldwork for my
dissertation, I did the soil characterization of all the pilot demonstration sites
for the testing of the concept called at the time as “Closed Canopy and High
Diversity Farming System”. After I finished my PhD in mid-1996, I continued my
active involvement in the development of the concept. Dr. S.B. Bulayog, a GTZ
scholar who pursued PhD at UP Los Banos, played a role in the development of
the concept as well as Ms. Mylene Napiza from the Department of Forestry of
ViSCA.
My pedology and geo-ecology group conducted the characterization of the soils of the demonstration sites which served as benchmark data; the periodic soil monitoring by way of the thesis researches of my undergraduate and graduate students (including Daub, S. Goeltenboth, Zoefel, Batistel, Aragon, Sueta, Herzano, and many others) which proved that the soil quality generally improved under the Rainforestation; and the litter decomposition studies which revealed that the leaf litter of the indigenous tree species decomposed at a slower rate compared to those of the exotic species. The slow decomposition minimizes nutrient loss from the forest floor and ensures a continuous supply of nutrients to the growing trees.
My pedology and geo-ecology group conducted the characterization of the soils of the demonstration sites which served as benchmark data; the periodic soil monitoring by way of the thesis researches of my undergraduate and graduate students (including Daub, S. Goeltenboth, Zoefel, Batistel, Aragon, Sueta, Herzano, and many others) which proved that the soil quality generally improved under the Rainforestation; and the litter decomposition studies which revealed that the leaf litter of the indigenous tree species decomposed at a slower rate compared to those of the exotic species. The slow decomposition minimizes nutrient loss from the forest floor and ensures a continuous supply of nutrients to the growing trees.
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| One of the meetings in Hohenheim in 1993 where the early concept of the Rainforestation was discussed. It shows Dr. M. Villanueva (ViSCA President), Dr. Margraf, Peter Balzer, Dr. Milan , and myself. |
c) Other persons who contributed their ideas and studies
The German scientists who in one way or another contributed to the testing and refinement of the concept through their ideas and advice were Prof. Werner Koch and Prof. Friedhelm Goeltenboth (ecology). The graduate students (MSc/PhD) from the University of Hohenheim who conducted various studies to evaluate the impact and suitability of the concept were Carsten Marohn (agro-ecology), Peter Balzer (biology), Christian Müller-Edzards (forest science), Gerhard Langenberger (forestry/vegetation science), Christoph Daub (soil biology), Katrin Zoefel (soil science), and Annette Goeltenboth (biology).
Among the German graduate students, Peter Balzer had the biggest input into the concept as he was the one who conducted several trials on spacing and arrangement of trees in the demonstration site in Mt. Pangasugan from 1994 to 1996. He also prepared the initial list of native and exotic species suitable for use in the concept (the exotic species served as shade plants for the native species).
The German scientists who in one way or another contributed to the testing and refinement of the concept through their ideas and advice were Prof. Werner Koch and Prof. Friedhelm Goeltenboth (ecology). The graduate students (MSc/PhD) from the University of Hohenheim who conducted various studies to evaluate the impact and suitability of the concept were Carsten Marohn (agro-ecology), Peter Balzer (biology), Christian Müller-Edzards (forest science), Gerhard Langenberger (forestry/vegetation science), Christoph Daub (soil biology), Katrin Zoefel (soil science), and Annette Goeltenboth (biology).
Among the German graduate students, Peter Balzer had the biggest input into the concept as he was the one who conducted several trials on spacing and arrangement of trees in the demonstration site in Mt. Pangasugan from 1994 to 1996. He also prepared the initial list of native and exotic species suitable for use in the concept (the exotic species served as shade plants for the native species).
A non-technical field staff of the Tropical Ecology Project who deserves a special recognition was Mr. Antonio "Tony" Fernandez from Patag village near the VSU campus. A former shifting cultivator and wildlife hunter, Tony knew almost every tree in the forest by heart. His indigenous knowledge about the forest was crucial to the success of wildlings collection and tree seedlings propagation in support of the Rainforestation farming.
Not to be forgotten of course were the many research assistants, community organizers, and field laborers who were hired to assist in the development and dissemination of the concept some of whom have become regular staff of ITEEM.
Not to be forgotten of course were the many research assistants, community organizers, and field laborers who were hired to assist in the development and dissemination of the concept some of whom have become regular staff of ITEEM.
d) The active promotion and dissemination of the concept
Just like
any good product that sells, the Rainforestation strategy attracts a lot of interest from potential "sellers" and users. After the Rainforestation concept has won recognition from various national institutions
such as CHED and DENR, thanks to the support from the German partners particularly
GTZ and Euronatur, several local and foreign institutions
and organizations have become strong advocates of the concept. One obvious reason is that it attracts support from funding institutions. In simple terms, there is money in Rainforestation. As planned, the ITEEM, originally called ITE established in 1999, has assumed the lead role in the promotion and dissemination of the concept to different parts of the country under its past and current directors: Dr. B.B. Dargantes, Dr. M.J.C. Ceniza, Dr. H. Montes, and Dr. M. Bande.
To cite
this article: Asio, V.B. 2019. Rainforestation farming: concept and history. http: soil-environment
blogspot.com.
A peer-reviewed paper on the history of Rainforestation can be downloaded from the Annals of Tropical Research
A peer-reviewed paper on the history of Rainforestation can be downloaded from the Annals of Tropical Research
ViSCA - Visayas State College of Agriculture (now Visayas State University)
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The author of this article (VB Asio) was directly involved in the development and evaluation of the Rainforestation concept from the 1990s until the present. He was a member of
the Project Management Core Group of the ViSCA-GTZ Applied Tropical Ecology Project, and
later as the first Head of the Terrestrial Ecosystems Division of the Institute of
Tropical Ecology (now ITEEM).
1 comment:
i've met josef margraf and pacing in a meeting in manila in mid1990s. their concept on the use of native species impressed me. thanks Dr Asio for your informative article.
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