Testimonies of beneficiaries who have gained new perspective in agriculture have paved the way to building their fellow farmers and their respective farming communities find a wider horizon to uplifting their lives through industry and passion in farming. As experience is the best teacher, their practices have become the breeding ground of how learnings through different modalities can become the evidence of how science and technology work in the farm. Such is Mr. Edilberto John Ramos of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, a School-on-the Air (SOA) TOP Achiever (Top 1 in 2013 and With Distinction in 2016), and this year, a very active enrollee, and farmer-partner of the University.

Taking Pride in Farming

“Dagiti mannalon ket bannuar ti pagiliantayo a Pilipinas… Ti inaldaw nga intayo ub-ubraen ket pagkasapulan ti padatayo a tao...ngarud, proudtayo koma a mangibaga a “Siak ket mannalon”.”

As an agricultural province of the country, farming is the primary livelihood of most Ilocano’s who sow seeds of rice, tobacco, corn, garlic, onion, mongo beans, sugarcane, cotton and vegetables into the vast fields. With hands and feet dirtied with earth, farming is life to all. And being the backbone of the economy, farming is the foundation of the working force of the country, and hence, the profession that sustains all other professions.

However, with the many problems brought by climate change and consequent farming practices derogatory to the soil, the need to update our knowledge and practices on science and technology-based interventions is necessary to keep abreast with the changing time and the challenges of change. With the various programs spearheaded by government agencies and organizations, learning through various modalities and practicing them makes an average learner a lifetime adopter of time-tested interventions.

The Technologies Applied

Mr. Edilberto’s learnings from the previous SOA with the University and other agencies particularly the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), PCAARRD, ILAARRDEC and PhilRice led him to try the different technologies promoted in the program.  Below are some of these technologies that earned his commendation and personal approval for his fellow farmer’s use.

 “I have already used a multitude of technologies in my farming. But what really impressed me is the Palayamanan System along with land preparation, following the right practice in planting rice, and others”, he said in his sharing.

Palayamanan is a farming system that highlights the purposive integration of various farming components such as rice and other crops, livestock, fish, and recycling for an optimal use of the farm. It is a model geared towards helping farming families in diversifying their crops and starting other sources of income such as fishpond, poultry, and livestock for continuous food supply, higher income and economic stability, increased farm productivity and sustainability, reduced production risk, maximized use of land or better resource allocation, and enhanced diversity and ecological balance.

He recalled the previous farming practice in their community where they prepare three sacks of rice seeds weighing 35 kilograms each. The elders in their community do not measure their seed beds, hence, seeds grow lushly green yet thin-stemmed. And with the sum of seeds, a lot goes to waste.

Choosing quality seeds to sow, according to him, pays a good interest together with proper land preparation. From his learnings, he also shared that he has adopted planting 40 kilos of inbred seeds and 15-20 kilos of hybrid. “It is really a big help to me as a farmer since I was able to save and I saw their good growth”, he added.

“In my current practice, once the seed are sown, I add carbonized rice hull (CRH) since I observed that birds are afraid of it. I cover the seeding bed with CRH after sowing the seeds”, he shared. Although the addition of CRH to shun away birds in the field, the use of CRH is of radical use in farming. It is a very good soul fertilizer and conditioner as it contains Phosphorous (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and micronutrients vital to growing crops. It makes the clay porous because of its loose composition and improves soil structure by increasing bulk density, water holding capacity, and aeration. CRH is also a very good potting media for seed sowing and seed propagation.

Bio-N as another intervention was also highlighted in his sharing. He said that he uses Bio-N as seed inoculant before sowing the seeds. Bio-N is a microbial-based fertilizer that converts nitrogen gas into available form to sustain the nitrogen requirement of host plants. It enhances shoot growth and root development, growth, improving yield of host plants, replaces 30-50 percent of the total amount of nitrogen requirement, making the plants resistant to drought and pests, reduces incidence of rice tungro and corn ear-worm attack, and increases yield and milling recovery of rice.

“I have also learned that after 18-21 days, they can already be transplanted. And with this, I patiently straighten my work or simply put a straight line to follow. This practice allows me to clean out weeds easier and save up seedlings”. Straight row planting is a system of growing crops in linear pattern in at least one direction that facilitates management practices and optimize spacing.

“To allow the decomposition of farm wastes in the farm is also an added learning. With this knowledge, I was able to save fertilizer because the decomposed rice straws helps the plants much”, he continued. His practice in decomposing was stirred by his practice before of using too much fertilizer upon maturity of rice plants. At first, he applies 12 sacks of fertilizer that also allows excitement to fill his heart while seeing their greenness. Its disadvantage, according to him, are the thin grains.  “Because of this knowledge in decomposing the farm wastes first and the proper way or fertilizer application, I can only use 6-7 kilos for a hectare. I was really able to save much, thanks to the School-on-the-Air”, he concluded.

            Continuing with his recollection on how he started, he also shared how the concept of integrated farming embedded in the Palayamanan System opened other opportunities for him and his family. “I only concentrated in planting rice before. But with this system, I also learned to plant high value commercial crops such that instead of buying everything we need, we can just pluck from our backyards or on the edges of fields the ones we want to eat”, he continued. He also added that the excesses can be sold to others in the community to buy other needs in the family.

            “We also have a small space in our backyard. And with the learning I acquired, I also started raising livestock. I started raising chicken, turkey, and pig. They support daily needs such that instead of buying eggs or dressed chicken, we already have them ready in our yard”.  This practice, according to him, helped them during their difficulty in budgeting for the family. They sold turkeys to those who sought them along with crops and other products to neighbors.

            To see profits in his practice, he recommended farm planning and budgeting and record-keeping in farming, a lesson that truly impacted his farming practices. Farm planning and budgeting is the process of choosing from among alternatives the best combination of crops and livestock to be raised through rational use of resources and the allocation of scarce resources of the farm to organize the farm production in such a way as to increase the resource use efficiency and the income of the farmer. “This is truly helpful because I get to review my activities. And I saw the advantages of keeping a record and plan for our farms. We can see and fit our schedules especially when we need help from our neighbors”, he said. Added to this is the sentiment of finding company in transplanting rice because most of their neighborhood have gone into construction works. “But because of farm planning, if we already started sowing, we can also schedule transplanting already”, he added.

“I also record my activities and the materials I use in the farm to monitor and compare the best practices in my current and previous farming”, he also shared, recognizing its advantages financially, in managing the needs of the family, and in our day-to-day activities in the farm. “It will be organized. Nothing is wasted especially time”, added.

For these practices he shared, he encouraged his fellow farmers to live the desire to listen and learn. With the many knowledge and technologies promoted through the School-on-the Air and trainings conducted by agencies and organizations, applying the lessons gained and the learnings  acquired in the farm to better our farming practices is one way of actively integrating change in our farming systems to cope with the challenges of change.

“Share your knowledge, share what you know”, he said, recognizing that one may know something good that others do not. Hence, to expand horizons of good farming practices, sharing to others is an effective way of helping others improve their farming.

“If we unite, work together, and care for each other, we become bolder as farmers” is the message he left. Truly, if there is unity and oneness in purpose, there is strength in all form. (Mercy Gano & Kimberly Miguel)

References of mentioned technologies:

Palayamanan System: http://www.pinoyrice.com/palayamanan/

Use of CRH in Agriculture: https://www.mnlgrowkits.com/products/carbonized-rice-hull-crh

Farm Planning and Budgeting: http://www.agriinfo.in/default.aspx?page=topic&superid=10&topicid=237

Carrageenan PGR: STCBF IEC Material, Agaramat iti Carrageenan para iti Nangato nga Apit a Pagay, April 2018

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