Abstract
Agroforestry is the favored farming system farmers adopt in Bagong Silang, Makiling Forest Reserve, Philippines. It is a farming system whose origin can be traced from kaingin (swiddening), a fundamental form of agroforestry, handed down by the first batch of farmers to the present generation of farmers. Agroforestry is recognized as an age-old tool in the protection and stabilization of the ecosystem, at the same time it provides a stable source of income and basic materials to the rural folks. However, farmers in Bagong Silang refused to associate their farming system to agroforestry. From the farmers’ perspective, agroforestry means reforestation that involves the sole planting of forest trees. Thus, there is a need to strengthen the dissemination of basic information on agroforestry as a farming system and as a conservation tool in order to protect the Reserve from other forms of human activity. Other sociological factors determined to influence the adoption of agroforestry include beliefs and practices, migration pattern, place of origin, occupation and income.
