VSU hosts regional trainers’ training on rainforestation-aquilaria farming

As the leading institution in Aquilaria research and development of a biodiversity-friendly enterprise in the region, VSU was tapped by the Regional Industry Board to host a training on Rainforestation-Aquilaria Farming.

Selected participants from the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) with accredited and registered sites, rainforestation adopters, and potential Aquilaria growers of Eastern Visayas gathered at the Zonal Center for Biodiversity Conservation and Habitat Restoration (Biodiversity Center) for a weeklong training that ran from June 17 to 22, 2024.

Rainforestation farming was originally developed by VSU with the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in 1992 to restore and conserve denuded forests and ecosystems by planting native trees.

Aquilaria trees are native to the Philippines and are known for producing agarwood, one of the world’s most expensive fragrant wood mainly used in perfumes and medicines. Because of its high economic value, illegal agarwood poaching has threatened Aquilaria tree species. The training on Rainforestation-Aquilaria Farming served as one of the interventions to address the illegal harvesting of agarwood, especially in the region.

The training was conducted by a team of expert resource persons and facilitators from VSU’s different concerned departments and offices, including the Extension Office, Biodiversity Center, Institute of Tropical Ecology and Environmental Management (ITEEM), Departments of Soil  Science, Pure and Applied Chemistry, Philosophy and Social Sciences, and Economics, and the Integrated High School.

Aside from the quality lectures and skills demonstrations, former VSU President and the Mother of Rainforestation technology, Dr. Pacienca P. Milan also graced the event and shared how this initiative was developed in the 1990s.

Participants also visited various rainforestation farms and Aquilaria sites including the VSU’s Rainforestation Demonstration Farm, ITEEM-Terrestrial Ecosystems Division’s Agroecological Demonstration Farm, ECo-SAP’s Philippine Aquilaria ex-situ conservation site, RF Adopter’s Farm in Brgy. Kambonggan, Baybay City, Leyte and proposed Aquilaria learning site in Brgy. Katipunan, Silago, Southern Leyte.

To cap off the weeklong training, a tree planting was conducted using the seedlings given as tokens for the participants.

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