Alan’s Agroforestry Education

Hi my name is Alan Silayan and I'm an environmentalist in the Philippines working on climate change issues. I've been working on Philippine environmental issues for more than 10 years.

Right now the Philippines is facing severe consequences of climate change and global warming. My country is the most vulnerable country to the adverse effects of climate change. We have the highest sea level rise on our eastern coast to the Pacific and also the warmest waters in the Pacific on that same area. The combination of these factors has lead to the largest typhoon ever hit land - Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) which hit the Philippines in Nov. 2013 causing wide spread death and destruction.

We need simple solutions to adapt to these changes we are facing and I believe that Sytropic Agriculture allows us to adapt to extreme heat and extreme wet conditions that we are currently facing and, will also allow us to adapt to the challenges of the future - food security, soil degradation, etc.

I am raising funds to attend a 3 month intensive training course on Sytropic Farming in Bahia, Brazil. The training will be conducted by Ernst Götsch at his demonstration forest farm in Bahia. I intend to learn all the details of this technique and to bring this knowledge back to the Philippines to be applied under local conditions. The money will be used for planefare from the Philippines to Brazil, tuition fee, board and lodging for 3 months in Brazil.

The training will start on 6th of October and I need to be in Brazil at least one day before. I will need the funds at the latest by the end of September.

There are people in the Philippines who are suffering from extreme weather events - both droughts and floods affecting their livelihood, crops, and incomes. In extreme cases people are dying. I strongly believe that by bringing this knowledge to the Philippines, I can make a difference in the lives of my countrymen. My dream is to have degraded lands in the Philippines restored with an abundance of food and cash crops for communities surrounding these lands.

Your support now will go a very long way in saving lives and alleviating the suffering of millions of people from the Philippines. My countrymen and I will be forever grateful for your support.