Cheyenne Suarez

This coffee farm in Mountain Province helps keep forests alive

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747809173699kopi.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Photos from Barlig Rainforest Coffee/Facebook </em></span></span></span></div><p>In the remote highlands of Barlig, Mountain Province, an Igorot-led initiative is proving that farming and forest conservation can go hand in hand. </p><p>Established in 2021, Barlig Rainforest Coffee grows coffee under the natural forest canopy without cutting down trees. </p><p>The project is the brainchild of Daniel Maches, a local coffee farmer and environmental advocate who believes that the key to sustainable farming lies in respecting indigenous lands and ecosystems. </p><p>&quot;We started this project in Mountain Province… because we wanted to create a pilot farm that harmonizes this coffee production with rainforest conservation,&quot; Maches said. &quot;We have one of the last remaining old-growth rainforests, and our goal, as a community [is] to be able to preserve this and, at the same time, to create sustainable livelihood, not just advocating for conservation.&quot;</p><p>Unlike traditional forming methods that involve clearing forest areas, the Rainforest Coffee farm makes minimal impact on the environment. </p><p>&quot;We don&#x27;t do intensive clearing… We only do slight clearing just to allow sunlight to penetrate and reach the coffee trees,&quot; Maches explained. &quot;We don&#x27;t incorporate chemical inputs sa farm. We just let the rainforest do its magic, nurturing the coffee trees and allowing them to become productive.&quot;</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747808904637Daniel-Maches.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Daniel Maches of Barlig Rainforest Coffee. Handout"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Daniel Maches of Barlig Rainforest Coffee. <em>Handout </em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The land is part of Maches&#x27; ancestral land -- it was previously used as a lemon farm, which required heavy cleaning. Today, the forest is being restored with coffee trees and native plant species. </p><p>&quot;What we&#x27;re doing now is to introduce coffee to what used to be lemon farms and slowly integrating &#x27;yung mga native species that we can take from the rainforest floor,&quot; he said.</p><p>When asked why they started a coffee farm, Maches said: &quot;Well, for one, I love coffee.&quot; </p><p>But beyond personal preference, coffee was chosen for its compatibility with rainforest conditions. &quot;Coffee is one of the few crops that we can grow successfully under a rainforest setting… Coffee is a forest crop,&quot; he noted. </p><p>Beyond coffee, the farm also protects and grows endangered heirloom crops such as native legumes and root vegetables. </p><p>&quot;The farm will become a bank or a plant for saving these endangered heirloom crops,&quot; said Maches who is also part of the Slow Food movement, a global initiative promoting sustainable and locally sourced food systems, and the social enterprise Banolmi which showcases eco-friendly products.</p><div><strong>Land is life</strong></div><p>Maches&#x27; advocacy grew stronger in 2020 when a proposed road project threatened to cut through the rainforest. Despite the risks, they continued to speak up for the benefit of both the environment and the community.</p><p>&quot;We started writing articles, organizing our fellow youth to speak up their minds about this project,&quot; he said, adding that they also had a dialogue with authorities to express their concerns.</p><p>For Maches and his community, their connection to the land is deep and spiritual. </p><p>&quot;Land is life,&quot; he said. &quot;When you say land, we&#x27;re basically referring to everything that&#x27;s in it, including the rainforest, the rivers, the biodiversity, or wildlife… And including us, as part of that ecosystem.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Everything -- our food, our medicine, our water — comes from the forest,&quot; he added. &quot;So, we consider it imperative to protect these forests… It provides irrigation to our rice terraces, for example, and our rice terraces provide the rice that we eat in our community.&quot;</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F552726400841432%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=267&amp;t=0" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Matches hopes their Barlig Rainforest Coffee project can be a model for other indigenous and rural communities across the country. </p><p>&quot;Our goal is to be able to replicate [this] model farm in different key biodiversity areas... And to reverse &#x27;yung deforestation that&#x27;s happening,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;And at the same time… See more communities, especially indigenous peoples, empowered as owners of their land, as stewards and guardians of the land.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/5/13/benguet-farmer-sets-new-record-price-for-philippine-coffee-1630">Benguet farmer sets new record price for Philippine coffee</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/events/2025/2/22/resonate-coffee-a-unique-look-to-put-focus-on-brewing-equipment-1610">Resonate Coffee: A unique look to put focus on brewing equipment</a></div>

<p>In the remote highlands of Barlig, Mountain Province, an Igorot-led initiative is proving that farming and forest conservation can go hand in hand. </p>

In the remote highlands of Barlig, Mountain Province, an Igorot-led initiative is proving that farming and forest conservation can go hand in hand.

This coffee farm in Mountain Province helps keep forests alive

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This coffee farm in Mountain Province helps keep forests alive

ABS-CBN News Intern,

Fritz Aranda

Published May 21, 2025 02:33 PM PHT

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