IJERDInternational Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2018) 9-2

Research article
erd

Sustainable Development through Environmental
Education: From the Perspectives of Past and PresentGroup and Individual Rainforestation Adopters
GUIRALDO C. FERNANDEZ, JR.*Visayas State University, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines
Email: guiraldo.fernandez@vsu.edu.ph

MARLITO JOSE M. BANDE
Visayas State University, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines
Received 5 January 2018

Accepted 20 October 2018(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract Rainforestation is a Visayas State University (VSU) technology designed as an
al e na i e me hod o Philippine Go e nmenhfo ma i e reforestation.
Rainfo e a ion p po e i o plan den ded land i h Philippine Na i e T ee oge hewith high value crops and fruit trees. With this, ecological functions could be re-establishedwhile subsistence farmers would be provided with a stable and sustainable income. For the
past twenty plus years, the first batch of individual and group adopters have toiled tosucceed in their Rainforestation efforts and are, at present, already reaping the fruits of theirlabors. Moreover, said adopters are also inspiring new groups of adopters to also adopt
Rainforestation. Yet, such things would not be possible without environmental educationthat has been provided by VSU, Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), andthe Environment Leadership Training Initiatives (ELTI). Hence, this study aims tonde and ho Rainfo e a ion ha affec ed he adop e li e fo he paenea ,examine how environmental education has contributed to sustainable development, anddecipher how environmental education has influenced new sets of adopters to go into
Rainforestation. In order to achieve the said objectives, this study makes use of hermeneutic
phenomenolog and foc g o p di c ion o a i e a he adop e poin of ie andsentiments towards the connection between environmental education, sustainable
development, and Rainforestation. Furthermore, this study concludes that the adopters havealready enjoyed economic benefits, sustainable source of water, and biodiversity restoration
through Rainforestation adoption. This study also concludes that environmental education is
one of the main factors why individuals and groups have adopted Rainforestation by
informing them that growing native trees together with fruit trees is doable and possible.
Lastly, this study further concludes that the spread of Rainforestation has been an offshootof the greater reach of education and information dissemination.
Keywords sustainable development, environmental education, rainforestation, adopters

INTRODUCTION
The e ion on he he o no he na al en i onmen co ld
ain he need of he o ld
g o ing pop la ion ha al ead been fel fo
i e ome ime. In he Philippine , Mo he Na ecapacity to support the future generations of Filipinos has been challenged by indiscriminate andg o e ploi a ion of he co nna al e o ce . One of he effec of hi en i onmen al ab e
is the lost of biodiversity in the country which comes as an offshoot of large and small scale
deforestation activities. According to Haribon foundation, biodiversity in the Philippines is one of
the richest in the world. It is part of the 17 mega diverse countries which collectively claim two
thirds of all global species. Yet, 70% of Philippine forests have vanished from the 1930s to 1988
(Haribon Foundation, 2016). There are two major causes of Philippine forests loss. They refer tothe conversion of primary forests to secondary forests by both legal and illegal logging and theⒸ ISERD

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IJERDInternational Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2018) 9-2

removal of secondary forests cover by expansion of upland agriculture (Fernando, 2005). In the
Visayas Region in the Philippines, the effects of environmental degradation have also been felt.
To address this problem, Visayas State University (VSU) in cooperation with the Gesellschaft
für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and the Environment Leadership Training Initiatives(ELTI) introduced and continued to propagate environmental education to interested adopters
through rainforestation. Rainforestation is a technology designed to make use of unproductive
land b plan ing na i e ee peciehich a e no idel
ed in he Philippine go e nmen
reforestation program (Milan and Ceniza, 2009). This technology found its way to Visayas State
University since in 1990, the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) started to look
into possibilities of rehabilitating former forested areas to get back the ecological functions of thedegraded areas needed for poverty alleviation through sustainable rural development. This program
was directed for the promotion of biodiversity rehabilitation and conservation of remaining primary
forests and natural resources. The directives of the program were formulated so that Rainforestation
could replace the wide spread slash-and-burn practices and protect and enhance biodiversity byusing indigenous trees only. In 1994 the hypothesis was formulated that a farming system in thehumid tropics would increasingly be more sustainable the closer it was in its species composition tothe original local rainforest (Goltenboth and Tropentag, 2005).
Hence, a he a of he ea l 1990 , a n mbe of Rainfo e a ion i e had been e abli hedin the different parts of the country. This came as a result of massive environmental education
initiatives disseminated by Visayas State University and the Gesellschaft für Technische
Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). It was during these times that people, predominantly farmers, wererecruited to adopt Rainforestation technology. At present, the first batch of group and individual
adopters in the Visayas region in the Philippines are already reaping the fruits of their labors. Yet,
Vi a a S a e Uni e iho di emina e en i onmen al ed ca ion con in ed p o hep e en ince i again pa ne ed i h Yale Uni e i
En i onmen Leade hip Training Initiative(ELTI) to recruit and educate more rainforestation adopters so that a large number of people would
be given a chance to realize the importance of environment conservation so that Mother Nature
could sustain the needs of every Filipino for many years to come.
OBJECTIVE
In he ho de e mine en i onmen al ed ca ion con ib ion o he a ainmen of
ainablede elopmen , hi pape aim o nde and ho Rainfo e a ion ha affec ed he adop e li e fo
the past twenty years, examine how environmental education has contributed to sustainable
development, and decipher how environmental education has influenced new sets of adopters to go
into Rainforestation.
METHODOLOGY
In the thrust to wholistically decipher environmental educa ion con ib ion oainabledevelopment, this research makes use of the qualitative research method of hermeneutic
phenomenolog . Thi phenomenological me hod i cha ac e i ed b Ma in Heideggeinterpretative approach which focuses on researcher involvement through on going interpretationhich b idle e ea che a mp ion h o gh e ioning and c i icall eflec ing pon one p eunderstanding and involvement in the phenomenon (Dahlherg, 2006). Hermeneutic
phenomenology aims at producing rich textual descriptions of the experiencing of selectedphenomena in the life world of individuals that are able to connect with the experiences of people
collectively. From identification of the experience of phenomena, a deeper understanding of themeaning of that experience is sought (Smith & Vandenburg, 1997). Hence, in order to have a fullnde anding of ha hide pondenan o con e , he e of an lang age ha herespondents are most comfortable with is utilized. As Langdridge (2005) puts it: to understand thelife world, people need to explore the stories that others tell of their experiences (Langdridge,2005). Hence, it is in this sense that the above-mentioned method would challenge the researcher toⒸ ISERD

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reflect deeply on what it is that the texts of the field have to say. Nevertheless, this researchme hod goal i o in i e i eade o en e he o ld ha he eo ld di clo e and open p infront of themselves (Kafle, 2011). With this at hand, this study could come with a broader
understanding of the significance of environmental education to sustainable development
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Effects of Rainforestation Adoption to the Lives of Group and Individual Adopters
The pioneering group and individual rainforestation adopters refer to the Cienda-San Vicente
Farmers Association (CSVFA) of Barangay Gabas, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines and Mr. ManuelPosas of Barangay Marcos, Baybay, Leyte. These adopters were the first to adopt rainforestation in
the early 1990s and have since inspired younger generations of adopters because they havedemonstrated that rainforestation would eventually lead to a development that is sustainable.
Mo eo e , he p e ence of he pionee ing adop e
ainfo e a ion demon a ion fa m ha e al oserved as models and have educated the younger generations of adopters that there is a need toeducate a large number of people in order for them to arrive at a realization that conserving andprotecting the natural environment would lead to sustainable development.
These things have positively affected the lives of the pioneering group and individual adoptersfor the past twenty plus years in the sense that it gives them a variety of benefits. For instance, theCienda-San Vicente Farmers Association has reaped economic benefits from rainforestation
adoption. In their thrust to save the trees from indiscriminate and illegal logging, they were able topreserve Philippine native mother tree species in their area. With this, the association members
were able to establish a nursery for native trees which gave them the opportunity to enter into
con ac i h he Philippine Depa men of En i onmen and Na al Re o ce (DENR) a a
pplie fo na i e ee eedling fo DENR Na ional G eening P og am (NGP). According toVictoriano Catalan, one of the pioneering members of CSVFA:
A fi , e ado ed ainfo e a ion beca e e onl an ed o o ec o
ee ha hadbeen illegally and indiscriminately cut by illegal loggers. As a group, the members of ourcommunity decided to adopt the technology offered to us by Visayas State University andGesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) which we later know as rainforestation. Withhi , e o gani ed o el e in o a eo le o gani a ion and e e able o convince a land ownerto convert his almost empty and denuded nine thousand square meters piece of land into ademonstration farm. The owner eventually became a member of the CSVFA. Our training in
Dendrology made us familiar with the characteristics of the native trees found in our area and wewere also taught how to collect wildlings and establish a nursery of our own. This nursery
provided us with income that was sufficient enough to compensate for our sacrifices in protecting
the environment. With our contract with the DENR national Greening Program and other nativeee eedling b e , e e e able o collec a m of mo e han a million e o .
Aside from economic benefits, the members of CSVFA have also noticed the return of
biodiversity in their area. For Agustino Valenzona, a CSVFA member: A feea af e estarted protecting our trees in the forest near our community, we noticed the return of native birds
in our area. We also experienced colder temperatures since the trees have started to grow. The fishin our rivers also returned which enabled community members to have access to free source offood. With this, I realized that if we just protect and care for Mother Nature, Mother Nature would
al o ake good ca e of in e n .
Moreover, rainforestation has also positively affected the life of the pioneering individual
adopter, Mr. Manuel Posas, an Assistant Professor of Visayas State University, of Barangay
Marcos, Baybay, Leyte. Having been invited to a meeting on rainforestation in the early 1990s, Mr.
Posas took the opportunity to attend with the intention of just making his denuded and empty pieceof land useful and productive. Yet, years after he implemented his rainforestation demonstration
farm, Mr. Posas reaped a lot of benefits that he even did not think of before. First, after twelve
years of establishing his rainforestation farm and planted it with a variety of more than six hundredⒸ ISERD

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Philippine native trees and a few fruit trees, he noticed that a source of water emerged inside his
demonstration farm. After retiring from government service, Mr. Posas established a water systemthat supplied him with safe and potable water all year long. Not only that, Mr. Posas also gave hisneighbors access to his water system with a minimal and reasonable fee. Hence, this also gave him
economic benefits. Furthermore, since Mr. Posas also planted fruit trees together with his native
ee , he ee f i d ing he f i ing ea on ga e him ano he addi ional income. Acco ding o
Mr. Posas: When I adopted rainforestation, I only had the intention of making use of a piece ofland that has been unproductive for a couple of years. Yet, years after establishing myrainforestation farm, I did not expect to gain things that nature has provided like the source ofwater in my demonstration farm as well as the sale of the fruit trees during the fruiting season. My
newly built water system also irrigated my rice field near my demonstration farm all year long insuch a way that my rainforestation did not only provide me with water, it also enabled me toeg la l lan ice all ea o nd.
Hence, from the stories of the pioneering group and individual adopters of rainforestation, it iscommon among them that they already are reaping the fruits of their labors. All of the adoptershave economically benefitted from rainforestation. Yet, most important of all, the adopters havemade it possible to restore biodiversity in their respective areas.
The Contribution of Environmental Education to Sustainable Development
From the experiences of the group and individual rainforestation adopters, it is quite obvious thatenvironmental education is the key element that inspired them to adopt rainforestation From thevery start, the thrust of Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and Visayas State
University has paved the way for the Cienda-San Vicente Farmers Association (CSVFA) and Mr.
Manuel Posas to adopt rainforestation. To this day, their demonstration farms have served as amodel that inspired a number of aspiring environmentalists and rainforestation adopters duringcoi i cond c ed in diffe en aining . Ye , CSVFA
cce i no onl an off hoo offormal education provided to them by GTZ but also through informal environmental education thathave been p ac iced in fa me
indi id al ho ehold . In fac , d ing he ea l
ea of
establishing the CSVFA, Visayas State University assigned the then community organizer Dr.
Marlito Bande to the village to facilitate the establishment of a pilot Rainforestation site. Dr. Bandedecided to live with the community and conducted regular discussions and consultations to build
consensus on key issues, strategize a plan of action, and mobilize the members based on increased
awareness and commitment (Bande, Consunji, Bloomfield, and Labastilla, 2016).
D . Bande a i ed in e c ing he g o p and egi e ing hem a a people o gani a ion
i h he Depa men of Labo and Emplo men nde he name, Cienda San Vicen e Fa me
Association (CSVFA). In order to stop the destructive logging and slash and burn practices, themembers trained to be deputized forests wardens, giving them the right to apprehend violators intheir watershed areas. The organization came up with their organizational structures and came up
with their constitution and by laws. They also came up with the outline of different environmental
activities and cost-benefit scheme. CSVFA then signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with
VSU, the local government unit, and the owner of the land where the Rainforestation farm would
be developed. The MOA legalized the lease of the land to CSVFA for 50 years, formalized thepartnership among the different stake holders, and specified the roles and responsibilities of eachstake holder (Bande, Consunji, Bloomfield, and Labastilla, 2016). With this, the CSVFA
Rainforestation farm was established, and at present, is one of the most successful Rainforestation
Demonstration farm in Region 8, if not, the whole country.
According to Dr. Marlito Bande: The cce of the CSVFA Rainforestation farm is a resultof a collaborative efforts among the farmers themselves. It was really the farmers who initiative themove since they were the ones who were affected by the negative effects brought about byenvironment degradation. When I was assigned to work with the farmers, I saw their sincerity andcommitment so I decided to live with the community in order to help them achieve their goal toprotect their forest and at the same time teach them to establish a Rainforestation demonstration
farm by teaching them the basics like the collection of wildlings from the forest, the establishmentⒸ ISERD

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of a nursery, the identification of a potential Rainforestation site, and the planting of native tree
seedlings. In fact, during the early years, I also helped the farmers in negotiating for the use of the
lot for the demonstration farm. All in all, I can say that the success of the CSVFA Rainforestationeffo i b o gh abo b he collabo a i e effo of he fa me hem el e .
One unique characteristic of CSVFA is that it gives importance and priority to family
membership. This means that it is not only the father and the mother who are considered membersof the association but also their children. With this, the children have been instructed at home on
the significance and necessity to protect the natural environment. This is one way of inculcating to
the minds of the young the importance of nature conservation. In fact, Bernie Tabaranza, an
employee of the Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management and a son of one ofthe pioneering members of the Cienda San Vicente Farmers Association (CSVFA) also stressed
ha Rainfo e a ion cceeded in Cienda ince he o gani a ion adop ion of he Rainfo e a ion i
not only about the community, it is also about family involvement. According to Bernie:
Ho ehold fo m of membe hi b Rainfo e a ion ado e en e ocial
ainabili incechildren are involved in the planning and are assigned task in taking good care of the existing
Rainforestation demonstration farm. With this, the children are given the opportunities to feel thatthey also possess the Rainforestation farm since they also have invested their time and efforts intaking care of it. Family members involve in CSVFA are also actively involved in theim lemen a ion and moni o ing of fo e e o a ion ac i i ie
A p e en , GTZ mi ion o p olife a e en i onmen al ed ca ion o a la ge n mbe of people
has already ended after almost twenty years of supporting environment education related activities.
Yet, this mission has been continued by the Environment Leadership Training Initiatives (ELTI)
through its Leadership Program where ELTI graduates have been mandated to re-echo what theylearned from the leadership training. In Leyte, ELTI has trained adopters in the town of Inopacan.
It also has new adopters in Cabugcayan, Biliran Province and has established rainforestation
demon a ion fa m in he a ea. Thi i ELTI ho con in e ha GTZ has started so thatsustainable development would be achieved through environmental education. Hence, there is no
doubt that one of the potent weapons in the thrust to conserve and protect of what is left of thenatural environment is environmental education. For the new sets of adopters, rainforestation havegiven them hope that their efforts could have a significant contribution to nature conservation.
Through environmental education, people from all walks of life would be given a chance to realize
Mo he Na e impo ance to the lives of each and every person including the future generation.
The Influence of Environmental Education to the Generation of Rainforestation Adopters
Environmental education has indubitably played a great role in protecting and conserving of what
is left of the natural environment. The efforts of the Environment Leadership Training Initiatives(ELTI) ha e pa ed he a fo a g ea e a a ene of he ignificance of each and e e pe onrole in taking good care of nature so that it could sustain the needs of people for a longer period oftime. The establishment of a ten hectare rainforestation demonstration in Inopacan, Leyte as well as
the establishment of the same demonstration farm on an eight hectare property in Cabugcayan,
Biliran Province are offshoots of rainforestation leadership trainings conducted and sponsored by
ELTI. These trainings have educated people of all ages on the importance of protecting Mother
Nature since it is also an indirect way of protecting oneself. According to Ricardo Cabulan, a new
rainforestation adopter from Cabugcayan Biliran: I am con inced b he ELTI Rainfo e a ion
training that taking good care of the environment is very important. My exposure to the different
rainforestation farms in Baybay, Leyte has given me a strong belief that planting native trees forna e con e a ion i o ible and e doable.
This sentiment is re-echoed by Gerald Matinao, an adopter from Inopacan, Leyte who also
happened to live within the vicinity of the Inopacan rainforestation site. According to Mr.
Matinao: The ELTI en i onmen al ed ca ion and ainfo e a ion aining ha g ea l affec ed hemind sets of the Inopacan rainforestation adopters. The ELTI training has given them insights that
it is not difficult to do our sha e in aking good ca e of Mo he Na e. M and m neighbo
exposure to the different vibrant rainforestation farms in Baybay, Leyte have given us hope thatⒸ ISERD

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some day, a large parcel of our unproductive and denuded land would become a green lush forest
in the very near future. We believe in this since someone has already proven that rainforestation isdoable and possible. Yet all this is not possible without the ELTI rainforestation training since it
ed ca edo al e ha i lef of Mo he Na e .
CONCLUSION
This study concludes that all group and individual rainforestation adopters in the Visayas region in
the Philippines have benefitted from the good things that rainforestation has given them. Economic
benefits as a result from rainforestation adoption is shared by the group and individual adopters.
For instance, the Cienda-San Vicente Farmers Association became a supplier of native tree
eedling o he Philippine go e nmen Na ional G eening P og am ha enabled hem o ea nover a million pesos in income. Not only that, rainforestation farms also serve as a good source ofwater as demonstrated by Mr. Manuel Posas. This not only give Mr. Posas non-stop supply ofwater, it also give him the opportunity to earn from his newly installed water system. Above all,rainforestation brings back and restore biodiversity which is the essence of environment
conservation.
Moreover, this study also concludes that environmental education is one of the main factors
why individuals and groups have adopted Rainforestation. The formal education provided by
Visayas State University, Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), and theEnvironment Leadership Training Initiatives (ELTI) has changed the mind-sets of therainforestation adopters in such a way that it gave them meaningful realizations that Nature
con e a ion i each and e e pe on mo al obliga ion. F he mo e, he e pe ience of he
CSVFA membe ha al o p o en ha info mal en i onmen al ed ca ion in one home i al oeffective in inculcating to the minds of the youth the importance of the natural environment to
one life. Thi enable he o h o ca e fo Mo he Na e b hea
hich lead o a de elopmen
that is sustainable. Lastly, this study further concludes that the spread of Rainforestation has been
an offshoot of the greater reach of education and information dissemination.
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Bande, M., Consunji, H., Bloomfield, G. and Labastilla, P. 2016. Rainforestation case study: The Cienda San
Vicente farmers' association experience. Smithsonian Topical Research Institute, Yale University, CT
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Dhalberg, K. 2006. The essence of essences: The search for meaning structures in phenomenological analysis
of lifeworld phenomena. International Journal of Qualitative Studies of Health and Well Being, 1 (1), 1119.
Fernando, E. 2005. Restoring the Philippine rainforests. Haribon Policy Paper, No. 2, Manila, Philippines.
Goltenboth, F. and Tropentag. 2005. Ecosystem approach. Lecture presented at the Conference on
International Agricultural Research for Development in Palo, Leyte, Philippines, October 13, 2005.
Haribon Foundation. 2016. Classifying natural and restored forests containing primary, secondary growth, or
residual forests. PANAO Rain Forest Restoration Initiative, 3, Philippines.
Kafle, N.P. 2011. Hermeneutic phenomenological research method simplified. Bodhi. An Interdisciplinary
Journal, 181-200.
Langdridge, D. 2005. Phenomenological psychology. Theory, Research, and Methods, Pearson, London, UK.
Milan, P. and Ceniza, M.J. 2009. Rainforestation trainers manual. Institute of Tropical Ecology, Visayas
State University, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines.
Smith, S.J. 1997. Phenomenology of educating physically. Vandenburg, D. (Ed.) Phenomenology and
Educational Discourse, 119-144.

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