Report of ERECON Programs in 2014
Following programs were implemented in the program year of2014 from 1st April 2014 to the end of March 2015.
1. Programs on environmental rehabilitation and conservationin Asian countries
1-1 Project on Promoting Reforestation for Sustainable
Development in Bohol, Philippines (Phase 3)
Bohol has been causing severe soil erosion and biodiversity loss
with deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture under the pressureof economic development and the rapid population increase. Also,the Bohol Earthquake occurred on 15 October, 2013 damaged tohuman properties and natural environment in a massive scale.
Therefore, attention has been paid to reforestation activity as
there are high needs for sustainable development and environmental
conservation in the area. This project promotes reforestation to
mitigate soil erosion in sloping farmlands and to replace
conventional slash-and-burn agriculture with agroforestry. The
reforestation activities were collaborated with the local students andresidents. At the same time, workshop and distribution of pamphlet
guiding the importance of forests and its functions were conducted toraise the local awareness.
1-2 Project on Reforestation for Community Reconstruction inTyphoon Affected Areas in Leyte, Philippines
Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded,
hit the Philippines especially the Eastern Visayas region in November
2013. It brought enormous damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
The majority of the population in Leyte Province who are engaged inagriculture lost their means of income, mainly coconut trees. To
support those farmers, this project aims to reconstruct its community
in typhoon affected areas and to strengthen its resilience in farming
practices to natural disasters by introducing rainforestation.
Rainforestation is a method known as a sustainable reforestation way
consisted of indigenous trees and fruit trees.

conducted by planting seeds of Nypa fruticans and seedlings ofRhizophora mucronata in June 2014. We are planning the next
planting activity in June 2015.

Photo. 2 Mangrove reforestation in Phang Nga, Thailand(Project 1-3)
2. Programs on sustainable use of natural resources in Asian
countries
2-1 Project on Sustainable Use of Natural Resources withConserving Socio Ecological Production Landscapes inRural Areas of Cambodia
This project aims to promote technologies and knowledge onsustainable use of natural resources with conserving the socioecological production landscapes in Mondulkiri Province. The
project includes various workshops and reforestation activities
collaborated with local farmers and elementary school students. Also,
the pamphlets on forest degradation and restoration are delivered. Inaddition, the networking among elementary schools in provinces ofMondulkiri, Kampong Cham and Battambang has been promoted.

Photo. 3 Reforestation activity with elementary school students
in Mondulkiri, Cambodia (Project 2-1)

Photo. 1 Reforestation activity in Leyte, Philippines (Project 1-2)

2-2 Project on Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in Kampong
Cham Province, Cambodia (Phase 4)
This project aims to build sustainable agriculture based on thecyclical use of natural resources in 11 villages and 10 elementaryschools in Samroung Commune, Kampong Cham Province,Cambodia. In 2014, “Samroung Safe Agricultural Product Shop” wasset up to sell low chemical-input agricultural products that wereproduced by the target farmers in this project. In addition, twotrainings were also given to the local farmers and the school teachers.

1-3 Project on Mangrove Reforestation in Tsunami AffectedAreas in Phang Nga, Thailand (Phases 2 and 3)
Phang Nga Province was one of the areas which were severely
suffered from the Sumatra Earthquake on December 26, 2004. Since
2008, ERECON has promoted reforestation with the local group inThung Lak Village of Phang Nga, and supported management of
their ‘Mangrove Learning Center’. Collaborating with the local
communities and elementary schools, reforestation activities were１One was for local farmers to produce qualified compost with
applying Bacillus subtilis as well as sterilizing Escherichia coli. The
other for teachers of elementary schools to accumulate theexperiences and to obtain the knowledge of educational practices ofthe food, agriculture and environment. The school teachers havelearned various educational practices in Thailand.

international cooperation by being involved in NGO’s activities. Theintern of this year engaged various projects not only in theheadquarters but also in Cambodia. The intern accumulated theexperiences of various tasks in the Administrative, Extension andResearch Centers of Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation andConservation.
3-2 JICA Nikkei Training Program
It is significantly tangible that mono-culture for producing cash
crops are extended widely in Latin America. Thus, soil conservationis regarded as needed for sustainable agriculture in Latin America.
This course is arranged for the Nikkei Trainees under thecollaboration with Tokyo University of Agriculture. In the course,
trainees are expected to learn the technologies on soil conservation,
the participatory strategy for applying sustainable agriculture
techniques in local context, and the evaluation methods for extension
projects, etc.
3-3 Project on Renovation of ERECON Extension Farm in theERECON Headquarters
ERECON has been offering various practical trainings on theenvironmental rehabilitation and conservation and the sustainable useof natural resources at SATOYAMA Gallery and ERECON
Extension Farm in the ERECON Headquarters. To respond to theincrease in trainees and visitors, this year, some partial exteriors wereconstructed and renovated for adding three planning plots andinstalled a greenhouse in the farm.

Photo. 4 Samroung Safe Agricultural Product Shop in Kampong
Cham, Cambodia (Project 2-2)
2-3 Project on Promoting Non-formal Education for Sustainable
Development in Kratie Province, Cambodia (Phase 2)
This project aims to establish and manage the farmers school
and to form and steer ‘Organic Agricultural Materials Producer
Group’ for promoting sustainable agriculture and income generationin Kratie Province. This is a 3 years project from April 2013 toMarch 2016 and the target areas are 7 villages in Snuol Commune,Snuol District, Kratie Province, Cambodia. The local farmers areaccessible to the non-formal education on a regular basis. In theschool, farmers are expected to acquire basic academic skills such as
Khmer, mathematics and environment as well as knowledge aboutsustainable agriculture. On the other hand, ‘Organic AgriculturalMaterials Producer Group’ was established to promote production oforganic agricultural materials from the natural resources in the localarea. The farmers also have attended trainings in Cambodia andThailand. Also in February 2015, pellet compost center wasestablished in Snuol Commune.

Photo. 6 Renovated ERECON Extension Farmin ERECON Headquarters, Japan (Project 3-3)
3-4 International Green Volunteer Training in the Philippines
This international volunteer training became the 6th timeorganized by ERECON. This year, it was organized in Leyte andBohol, Philippines from March 2 to 10 in 2015. Ten Japanese andtrainees observed several rainforestation and reforestation projectsites in the rural areas with ten Filipino buddies, and attended theinternational conference to make the presentation. The training aimed
that the trainees deepen their understanding about the importance ofreforestation, environmental conservation and international
environmental cooperation through various lectures, study trips,
discussion with the local people and Filipino buddies. The trainees
mixed with Japanese and Filipino were expected to help each other
understand better about the study topics and elaborate new ideas forachieving sustainable development in the future. Their new ideas
were successfully presented in the 6th International Conference ofEnvironmental and Rural Development (ICERD) held at Bohol
Island State University on March 7, 2015.

Photo. 5 Pellet compost center set up
in Kratie, Cambodia (Project 2-3)
3. Programs on environmental education in Asian countries
3-1 NGO Internship Program
In ERECON, this internship program has been initiated since2013 for the aim of capacity building of the youth in the field of２