Soil erosion is a major concern in the Philippine uplands where poor households farm sloping lands ill suited to intensive cultivation. In the Southern Philippines, the development of contour barriers in the form of natural vegetative filter strips (NVS) has provided a simple, cost -effective solution to the problem of soil erosion, and has been rapidly adopted in selected locations through the landcare approach, based on partnership of landcare groups, local government units, and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). The initial succe ss of the landcare approach raises the possibility of scaling up. This paper reports on a study to investigate the minimum requirements for effective scaling up. It was found out that scaling up has a strong technical dimension, that is, the technology promoted was highly adoptable. The formation of landcare groups was a key element, enabling farmer-led extension. Local government support was present in some cases and absent in others; hence, though desirable, was not essential to successful scaling up. However, in the absence of local government support, institutional backing from a committed, technically competent non-government organisation appeared to be crucial. Soil conservation efforts will thus remain islands of success unless these elements can be replicated on a wider scale
Publication year
2004
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
adaptation, extension activities, soil conservation, technology
Geographic
Philippines
