Regional Training-Workshop on Scaling-Up Agroforestry Promotion Towards Mitigating Climate Change in Southeast Asia Concludes

One of the major components of the Asia-Pacific Network (APN)-funded PAFERN Project entitled "Scaling-Up Agroforestry Promotion Towards Mitigating Climate Change in Southeast Asia" is a Regional-Training Workshop that is aimed at strengthening the knowledge and skills of junior agroforestry teaching staff in agroforestry, and climate change, and at the same time, develop information materials for instruction and promotion purposes.

PAFERN convened 16 teaching staff and development workers of the collaborating countries, namely:  Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.  The SEANAFE Board Members, who serve as the members of the Project Facilitating Team, were also present during the three-day activity.

The multifunctionality and potentials of agroforestry in climate change mitigation and adaptation were discussed by Dr. Lutgarda L. Tolentino (PAFERN Chair), and Dr. Bao Huy (VNAFE Chair).  Their presentation was based on the results of the SEANAFE-funded research on the Documentation and Assessment of Different Agroforestry Models.  Meanwhile, the Recent Developments in Climate Change Research was discussed by Dr. Rex Victor O. Cruz, the Dean of the University of the Philippines Los Banos-College of Forestry and Natural Resources.

The training-workshop also served as an opportunity to review the draft information materials about climate change issues and impacts, and the role of agroforestry in climate change mitigation and adaptation, which will be disseminated during the conduct of the National Agroforestry Roadshows.

Each of the five collaborating countries also came up with their plans for the conduct of the National Agroforestry Roadshows.