People in rural communities in Ilocos Norte Province in the Philippines rely heavily on traditional
knowledge, particularly for predictingweather to plan and prepare their agroforestry activities as well as
disaster prevention. Farmers use this knowledge, derived from observations of atmospheric and
astronomic conditions, indicator plants and behavior of animals (insects, birds, and mammals) which
signal the onset of the rainy season. These indicators prompt farmers to prepare their upland farmlands
for cropping to ensure that vegetative ground cover is established prior to heavy rainfall and thereby
prevent erosion of upland soil and siltation of watercourses. Predictive knowledge of the timing of long
or short rainy periods enables farmers to plant suitable crops