A series of activities in Cagayan de Oro City in July/August 2007 successfully initiated the new two-year phase of the Philippines-Australia Landcare Project. These activities brought together the new project partnership of the six existing project partners and the Landcare Foundation of the Philippines (LFPI).

• Structured interviews of 29 key landcare stakeholder personnel on the present state of Landcare and its future potential;
• A two-day institutional analysis workshop for LFPI Board and staff, where the Foundation's current structure, operations and mission/goals were reviewed and an institutional development program put in place;
• Agreement of project partners and staff on a draft plan for the transition of project staff to LFPI by January 2008;
• Establishment of a regional Landcare network of three regional Landcare teams (Northern Mindanao, Southern Mindanao, Visayas) with technical back up support commitment from CRS (on cluster marketing and agribusiness development), ICRAF (on enhanced multi-storey agroforestry systems) and UPLB (on high value vegetable production);
• Operationalisation of the regional network with the development of regional activity plans, operating procedures, networking strategies and communication systems.

The new project team, along with the LFPI Board and staff, showed great commitment and enthusiasm for the new project direction and an excellent platform was established for building LFPI into a strong and robust organisation that can take the lead role in developing Philippines Landcare to the next level.

These processes are continuing to evolve in the run-up to a second workshop in Bohol in October where further stages of each process will be discussed and endorsed by the project partnership.

 
The project team at its August project planning and orientation meeting in Cagayan de Oro City