A mining company in the Philippines is undertaking a Livelihood Enhancement Agroforestry (LEAF) project which is expected to plant 40,000 fuel wood trees and 20,000 coffee trees interspersed with food crops such as cassava, ginger and corn.

Mindoro Nickel is cooperating with the National Greening Program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Occidental Mindoro to provide seedlings, technical training and assistance in establishing and maintaining plantations. They are also developing a 10-hectare training and demonstration farm.

One hundred hectares will be devoted to agroforestry with coffee as the main crop and fast growing trees, such as rubber, ipil-ipil or kakawate for fuel wood production.

Through reforesting open and unused lots, the project aims to assist communities in the area as well as address problems including soil erosion due to heavy rainfall. Communities who undertake compatible activities such as agroforestry and fuel wood production will be supported.

Read the full story on the Philippine Information Agency website: Mining firm starts green livelihood project in Mindoro