Intercropping helps Filipino rubber farmers improve livelihoods

Date released

12 June 2025

Improved incomes, better health and improved farming skills are among the outcomes of an ACIAR-supported project working with indigenous smallholder rubber farmers and their communities on the Philippine island of Mindanao.

The project focused on Agusan del Sur, the country’s fourth-largest province, but also one of its poorest. The region is highly reliant on agriculture, which employs 75% of its workforce.

Recovering from typhoon damage

Agriculture in the region was severely disrupted by the devastating Typhoon Pablo in 2012. More than 2,000 people died and the typhoon destroyed plantations, homes and infrastructure, with winds of more than 160 km/h, flash flooding and mudslides.

In the wake of the typhoon, the Provincial Government of Agusan del Sur (PGAS) launched the Upland Sustainable Agri-Forestry Development (USAD) program on Mindanao as its flagship initiative to help restore livelihoods and build agricultural resilience.

Supporting sustainable and profitable rubber production was a key part of the USAD program. Rubber is the fourth-largest crop in Agusan del Sur, but local figures indicated only 40% of rubber plantations in the province were productive in the decade following the typhoon.

Natural rubber is formed from the milky latex sap of the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis). Farmers tap the sap by making an incision in the bark of the tree and sell latex as the raw material that processors turn into rubber.

With support from ACIAR, project leader Professor Chengrong Chen from Griffith University led a short research project in 2016 to support the USAD program and local recovery.

‘This identified gaps in the available science-based information about rubber production systems suited to the climate and soils in Agusan del Sur,’ said Professor Chen.

‘Working closely with local partners – particularly the provincial government – a 5-year project was developed with a focus on land management and diversification of rubber-based production systems.’

Jointly funded between ACIAR and the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), the project components included mapping the region’s soils, training farmers to improve rubber latex yields, and identifying crops that could be planted in conjunction with rubber trees to diversify farm income.

Group of people standing outside in front of a green banner

Project partners from the University of Southern Mindanao, PCAARRD and Philippine Rubber Research Institute at a rubber-based cropping system trial in South Cotabato. Photo: Griffith University

Two men standing in between rows of crops in a field

Professor Chengrong Chen checks soil health alongside Dr Johnvie Goloran in a mungbean–rubber intercropping system at the University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan, North Cotabato experimental site. Photo: Griffith University

Group of people standing in between rows of crops

Dr Adeflor Garcia and Dr Purificacion Cahatian, together with project staff, brief Professor Chengrong Chen on mungbean growth and pest issues under rubber-based cropping. Photo: Griffith University

Group of people standing in front of trees

ACIAR, PCAARRD and Griffith University project team and partners from the University of Southern Mindanao, PGAS and Caraga State University visit a rubber–banana cropping system trial in North Cotabato. Photo: Griffith University

Soils and skills

Professor Chen said 5,500 soil samples were collected from Agusan del Sur in the Mindanao uplands region and analysed to identify soil constraints. The results were used to map areas most suited to rubber-based cropping systems.

Another 1,500 soil and plant samples were analysed to assess nutrient uptake in crops and develop fertiliser regimes to maintain crop productivity.

To help farmers build their technical skills, 28 workshops provided training on subjects such as rubber production, rubber tapping and identification of pests and diseases. There were 827 farmers involved in the training, gaining skills to improve their rubber latex yields. While the average rubber yield in the Philippines is 2 kg of dry rubber per tree per year, demonstration farms set up as part of the project showed yields of up to 3.1 kg were achievable.

Professor Chen said PGAS also provided genetically superior and locally adapted rubber tree seedlings to those farmers who joined the USAD extension and training program. The PGAS extension network then provided the project team with a way to share research results with extension staff and farmers as the project unfolded, and to take on board their feedback.

‘The project has also helped to make soils an important focus of national government agricultural policy,’ said Professor Chen.

‘The government is now developing a 10-year national soil health strategy. PGAS has also invested its own money to build and resource what will be the Philippines’s first specialist soils laboratory.’

This is expected to support sustainable agriculture and improve soil health not only in Agusan del Sur but also in other provinces.

Along with PGAS, project partners in the Philippines included the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Caraga State University, the University of Southern Mindanao, Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology, Municipal Government of Trento and Philippine Rubber Research Institute.

Intercropping income options

A major part of the project was to develop farming models that intercrop rubber trees with perennial and annual crops.

As rubber trees take 6 to 8 years to mature, these cash crops can provide crucial income for farmers as young rubber plants establish. They also give farmers the option of storing latex when prices are low, rather than being forced to sell it to buy food.

Former Griffith University Senior Research Fellow Dr Johnvie Goloran, now Research Program Manager at ACIAR who worked on the project, said experimental demonstration farms were set up at the University of Southern Mindanao and two other locations owned by PGAS to test and showcase new approaches.

‘We identified rubber–cacao and rubber–banana combinations as the most suitable model,’ said Dr Goloran. ‘For Agusan del Sur farmers, eggplant, mungbean and corn are very good vegetable options. There is local demand for these crops, which means markets for farmers.’

Dr Goloran added that the mix of diverse crops created more complex nutritional requirements, which is why soil testing and fertiliser management has been an important part of the research and extension.

‘We need to make sure we are not mining the soil of nutrients,’ explained Dr Goloran.

Community benefits

More than 6,000 smallholder farmers have engaged with the project, including 2,178 rubber farmers who joined the PGAS extension program and received training to improve latex production from their trees and implement intercropping. PGAS also reported positive outcomes for women whose involvement in farming increased because of improved knowledge and skills in agronomic practices, and fertiliser and soil nutrient management.

A government-commissioned independent survey of rubber-based households in Agusan del Sur in 2022 indicated that 88% had ‘graduated from poverty’ over the course of the project.

Specifically, 73% escaped hunger and deprivation, 96% improved health, 87% overcame ignorance, and 89% alleviated fear. Furthermore, 34% of surveyed farmers (190 out of 610) surpassed the Philippines’s poverty threshold in 2022.

These positive results were also reflected at the provincial level. In 2024, and for the first time in its history, Agusan del Sur was no longer amongst the poorest provinces of the Philippines.

This outcome was influenced by the broad project’s impact and was recognised nationally in 2021 when PGAS received the prestigious Galing Pook Award for outstanding innovation in local governance and effective solutions to community development challenges.

Collaborative partnerships

Executive Director of DOST-PCAARRD Dr Reynaldo Ebora is a strong advocate of the USAD program and ACIAR-supported projects.

‘The DOST-PCAARRD and ACIAR partnership is a role model for international cooperation,’ said Dr Ebora.

Our collaboration is not just about shared resources and research results but also about building a robust and sustainable partnership. It exemplifies how mutual accountability and dedication to delivering high-quality science can foster significant advancements in agriculture.

ACIAR Research Director, Dr Steven Crimp said the project’s impact extends to stakeholders, including smallholder farmers who experienced improved livelihoods, increased income and enhanced resilience. It has also served to catalyse other opportunities in terms of enhanced soil analyses and soil laboratory capabilities.

‘This has been a groundbreaking initiative, which has become a model for sustainable agroforestry practices, positively impacting livelihoods and contributing to climate-resilient agriculture in the Philippines,’ said Dr Crimp.

It also serves as a model for other rubber-producing regions across Southeast Asia.

‘Countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and others, where smallholder farmers dominate rubber production, can greatly benefit from this approach,’ said Dr Crimp. ‘And because our researchers and institutions are trusted in this type of work, they are often the first port of call when advice is required. So, Australia benefits too.’

A future project in Agusan del Sur will build on this project to support the adoption of farming and production technologies. Key elements include maximising gender inclusivity in the development of the sector and mitigating the climate impacts on rubber-based agricultural systems.

ACIAR Project: ‘Land management of diverse rubber-based systems in southern Philippines’ (SLAM/2017/040)