Papers by Romnick Baliton
SEAMEO-BIOTROP, Jan 31, 2017
APN Science Bulletin, 2022
The upland farming communities in the Philippines are among the vulnerable sectors to climate cha... more The upland farming communities in the Philippines are among the vulnerable sectors to climate change impacts. Their agricultural production is generally rainfed, and their farms are in marginal upland areas with steep slopes prone to soil erosion. Water scarcity is a common and perennial problem. To address the need expressed by the smallholder farmers, 11 rainwater harvesting facilities (RWHFs) were established in three upland farming communities in Albay Province, Philippines. The project team facilitated the establishment of RWHFs from two state universities, three local government units, and farming communities. Capacity development and participatory project planning and implementation were the important project approaches. This project generated several lessons. These include the essence of multisectoral collaboration, comprised of local government units, farming communities, and state colleges and universities; the value of collective action of farmers; effectiveness of cross-...
Asian journal of agriculture and development, 2015
This article confirms that climate change is indeed a real phenomenon as observed and experienced... more This article confirms that climate change is indeed a real phenomenon as observed and experienced by smallholder farmers in the Molawin-Dampalit Sub-Watershed. Using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the smallholder farmers articulated their own indications of climate change. These include increasing temperature, stronger and more frequent typhoons, excessive rainfall, drought, early rainy season, and delayed dry season. Among the effects of climate change on their agricultural production include stunted growth of crops, aborted fruiting of trees, incidence of pests and diseases, and growth of unknown weeds. These have led to increase in the use and dosage of farm inputs, particularly pesticides and fertilizers; decline in crop yield; and ultimately, decline in farm income. To cope with these impacts, the farmers employed strategies such as replanting, use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers to control pests and improve crop growth, pruning, watering and div...
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is group of yeast in food categorized in GRAS. It possesses several of e... more Saccharomyces cerevisiae is group of yeast in food categorized in GRAS. It possesses several of extracellular and intracellular of enzymes beneficial to the tapioca modification. Tapioca has low characteristic of pasting properties that its use in food production was narrow. Modified tapioca could be defined as change of its physical, biochemical, or microbiological properties for the better purpose. The introduction of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in to the cassava starch suspension was investigated in order to evaluate its potential in modifying pasting and physicochemical properties of the starch. Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the various concentrations was inoculated into cassava starch suspension and incubated at room temperature (30C) in facultative aerobic condition for 24, 48, 60 and 72h. The growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was monitored; the pH and starch granules were evaluated. The result showed that there was sign of erosion to the structure of cassava starch granules...
Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 2020
Promoting sustainable natural resources management is a complex issue such that striking a balanc... more Promoting sustainable natural resources management is a complex issue such that striking a balance between socioeconomic productivity and environmental integrity remains a challenge. This paper highlights the results of a study conducted from April to December 2019, which assessed the state of natural resources management in Barangay Mari-norte, San Andres, Romblon, which is part of the CALSANAG (Calatrava, San Andres, and San Agustin) Watershed. Biophysical characterization was done to determine land use and biodiversity, while farm household survey was administered to 133 farmers to characterize their socioeconomic conditions. Results showed that all of the farmerrespondents were engaged in the production of tiger grass (Thysanolaena maxima Roxb), where most of the farm households derived an estimated annual income of >Php50,000. Although their household income is higher as compared to other upland farming communities in the Philippines, most of them expressed that their income is insufficient since tiger grass is harvested only once a year, and the farmers have no alternative sources of income. On the other hand, biophysical characterization revealed the following: t he farms are generally rainfed, have rolled to steep slopes, and have indications of low soil fertility, soil erosion incidence, and very low level of biodiversity (0.92). Most of the farmers practiced "slash-and-burn" to cultivate tiger grass as a single crop and hence, the forest cover has declined. A multi-agency collaboration jointly initiated agroforestry promotion in the upland farming communities through capability-building of upland farmers in agroforestry and establishment of tiger grass-based agroforestry model which showcases the economic and ecological viability of agroforestry systems in CALSANAG Watershed.
Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 2020
A study was conducted in three selected upland farming communities in Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet and ... more A study was conducted in three selected upland farming communities in Nueva Vizcaya, Benguet and Quezon, Philippines to assess the ecological services of agroforestry systems. Results showed that alley cropping was the dominant agroforestry system in Nueva Vizcaya, while vegetable-based and coffee-based multistorey systems were found prevailing in Benguet and Quezon provinces. Agrobiodiversity assessment revealed that the values of Shannon-Wiener diversity index of agroforestry systems in the three study sites were considered to be low to moderate, ranging from 2.21 to 2.71. This validates that the number of individuals per species in the agroforestry landscape was not evenly distributed. The means of biomass in the three study sites, ranging from 106.22-127 tons ha-1 , were higher than that of agroforestry systems (102.80 tons ha-1) in the Philippines. The agroforestry systems in Nueva Vizcaya had the largest carbon stock of 57.15 ton C ha-1 , followed by Quezon 52.96 ton C ha-1 and Benguet 47.80 ton C ha-1. These results are comparable to the overall mean of carbon stock of tree plantations (59.0 ton C ha-1) and higher than that of agroforestry systems in the Philippines, i.e., 45.4 ton C ha-1. Therefore, this article argues that the different agroforestry systems provide ecological services in the upland farming communities in the Philippines.
Jurnal Manajemen Hutan Tropika (Journal of Tropical Forest Management), 2019
Indonesia and Philippines are homes of biodiversity in Southeast Asia. In recent years, however, ... more Indonesia and Philippines are homes of biodiversity in Southeast Asia. In recent years, however, there has been a decline in biodiversity brought about by land use change. This condition poses threat on the food security of communities around the watersheds. items the and physiological conditions of the watersheds, in this case, The type and volume of main food depend on ecological Way Betung and Molawin Dampalit. When edible food is sufficient in an area, and available there is higher livelihood that the communities are food secured. This paper argues based on research which has been conducted in May to November 2015 that the food security of communities in the selected agroforestry landscapes in Way Betung and Molawin Dampalit have moderate. Levels of its food security based on four dimensions, namely: food availability, food accessibility, food stability and food utilization. Amounted 261 Indonesia farmer's respondents and 106 Philippine's respondents mentioned that the farm households generally practice agroforestry where the production of short-term and medium-term agricultural crops, woody perennials and livestock are deliberately combined. The type of crops grown by farm households contribute to the level of food security.
BIOTROPIA, 2017
This article argues that the practice of agroforestry provides ecological contributions to the sm... more This article argues that the practice of agroforestry provides ecological contributions to the smallholder farmers cultivating in the watershed areas. Specifically, this farming system provides contribution to carbon sequestration potential of the woody perennials and the biodiversity conservation of the other components of the system. This argument is based on the research conducted in Molawin-Dampalit Sub-Watershed, Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve in the Philippines and Way Betung Watershed in Indonesia. The research involved an interview session of 106 and 261 smallholder farmers and an assessment of 27 and 14 agroforesty plots for carbon stock assessment and biodiversity assessment, respectively. Results indicated that the total carbon found among the crop components was 52.32 MgC/ha in Molawin-Dampalit Sub-Watershed and 244.26 MgC/ha in Way Betung Watershed, which suggested the high carbon sequestration potential of the woody perennials and understory crops in an agroforestry system. The farm lots being cultivated by the smallholder farmers were found to contribute to biodiversity conservation having a moderate biodiversity index of 2.59 and 2.53, respectively. With these findings, promotion of desired agroforestry systems in suitable portions of the watershed areas should be intensified and heightened to contribute to ecological balance across the landscape. Agroforestry should always be an integral part of all initiatives toward ecological restoration with the cultivators/smallholder farmers as potential partners. The agroforestry system should consider all the technical and socioeconomic considerations toward having diverse components and ensure food security among the smallholder farmers throughout the year.
International Journal of Forestry Research, 2013
There is growing interest globally in REDD+ initiatives to help mitigate climate change; the Phil... more There is growing interest globally in REDD+ initiatives to help mitigate climate change; the Philippines is no exception. In this paper, we review early REDD+ project experiences in the country. The guiding document for REDD+ in the Philippines is the National REDD+ Strategy (PNRPS) which was prepared by a multisectoral group of authors. There are five REDD+ projects that are underway. The critical factors emerging from these early REDD+ actions are the following: external support, local participation, free prior and informed consent, capacity building, sustainability, national laws and policies, biodiversity conservation, and use of safeguards. The pioneering projects reviewed here as well as the emerging lessons from them will hopefully provide a firmer basis for future REDD+ actions in the country.
Research Papers in Economics, 2018
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Papers by Romnick Baliton