Organic success

by Gerry T. Estrera
If someone mentions the words “organic farming,” what comes into your mind right away?
 Environment-friendly, natural, not using pesticides and other chemicals, sustainable, regenerative, and healthy – these are the words use to describe this method of farming which has recently captured the attention of many countries around the world.
 Thanks to Republic Act 10068, organic farming is now being promoted in the Philippines.  More popularly known as the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, the law is a state policy that promotes, propagates, and further develops the practice of organic farming in the country.
 President Benigno Aquino III, during the 8th National Organic Agriculture Conference in Hacienda Luisita last year, directed the Department of Agriculture to allocate 2-percent of its annual budget for the implementation of the department’s programs and policies on organic agriculture.
 The United Nations Food and Agriculture (FAO), in its report, Organic Agriculture and Food Security, explicitly states that organic farming fights hunger, tackles climate change, and is good for farmers, consumers and the environment.
Organic farming, according to FAO’s Nadia Scialabba, is “a holistic production management system that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and genetically modified organisms, minimizes pollution of air, soil and water, and optimizes the health and productivity of plants, animals and people.”
 In Mindanao, farmers growing rice are proving once and for all that organic farming can improve one’s income.  Last year, Benjamin R. Lao was named by the Department of Agriculture as an outstanding organic farmer.  “We want to teach Filipino farmers the right way of farming through the natural method, without using commercial fertilizer or pesticides,” he said of those people who come to his farm in barangay Eman in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.
 Organic farming caught the attention of Lao after training at the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) in nearby barangay of Kinuskusan.  “I was impressed by the way they conserve the soil and the farming systems they have developed through the years,” he said.
 The MBRLC is at the forefront in promoting organic farming not only in Mindanao but also in other parts of the country.  Its former director, American missionary and agriculturist Harold R. Watson, received a Ramon Magsaysay Award for peace and international understanding in 1985 for encouraging international utilization of the center’s farming technologies.
 MBRLC is credited for coming up with four sustainable systems for the uplands: Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT 1), Simple Agro-Livestock Technology (SALT 2), Sustainable Agroforest Land Technology (SALT 3), and Small Agrofruit Livelihood Technology (SALT 4).
 In all these systems, the MBRLC uses various nitrogen-fixing species as hedgerows to keep the soil intact.  “We are following the concept of rice terraces of Banaue,” says Roy C. Alimoane, the current director.  “But instead of using stones to form terraces, we utilize several plants grown in double hedgerows and planted following the contour lines.”
 The hedgerows are cut every 30 to 45 days at knee high.  “We use the cuttings are fertilizer for our crops,” Alimoane explains.  “We don’t apply commercial fertilizer since the cuttings are already good sources of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.”
 The cuttings also serve as mulching materials during the rainy seasons.  “Once there is rain, the rain would not directly hit the soil, thus helping minimize the erosion of topsoil,” he says.  “The double hedgerows also aid in abetting the flowing of the soil going down.”
 A study conducted at the MBRLC farm showed the rate of soil loss in a SALT farm is 3.4 metric tons per hectare per year, which is within the tolerable range.  Most soil scientists place acceptable soil loss limits for tropical countries within the range of 10 to 12 metric tons per hectare per year.  The non-SALT farm has an annual soil loss rate of 194.3 metric tons per hectare per year.
 The SALT scheme requires careful management of the space between the hedgerows. A combination of permanent, semi-permanent, and annual crops is recommended so as to rebuild the ecosystem and maximize yields while enabling farmers to organize their work time efficiently.
 Every third strip of available land is planted to permanent crops.  Examples include cacao and coffee, which were recommended by President Benigno S. Aquino III during his second State of the Nation Address.  “Both cacao and coffee have steady markets,” says Alimoane.  “Cacao has a potential of becoming one of our agricultural exports.”
 A combination of various cereals (upland rice, corn, and sorghum) and vegetables (beans, pulses, tomato, eggplant, ampalaya, and sweet pepper) are planted on the remaining two strips of land.  Each has its own specific area so that there can be a seasonal rotation.  For instance, an area planted to corn previously will be planted with mung bean in the next cropping season.
 “Crop rotation helps to preserve the regenerative properties of the soil and avoid the problems of infertility typical of traditional agricultural practices,” explains Alimoane on the importance of regular rotation of crops.
 SALT offers many valuable ecological advantages.  “This farming system greatly reduces the risk of drought, landslides, floods, and silting over of low-lying land, and wind erosion, all of which are linked to the radical transformation of the natural environment and destruction of the mountain forests,” Alimoane says.  “It also replaces ugly eroded and denuded slopes with the luxuriant beauty of abundant vegetation.”
 Examples of nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs are kakawate (Gliricidia sepium), ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) and the introduced species Flemingia macrophylla, Desmodium rensonii, and Indigofera anil.  These species are also excellent fodder for goats.
 That’s why in its SALT 2 model, the above species are also planted in the lower portion of the farm.  In this half-hectare system, 12 does are raised together in a barn located at the center of the farm.  Another small house is built in the nearby for the buck.
 The cut hedgerows are brought to the barn as fodder for the goats.  The goat manure are collected and used as fertilizer for the hedgerows and the crops (which are planted at the upper portion of the farm).  The goats, which are dairy type, are milked two times a day: in the early morning and late afternoon.
 A study conducted by the Department of Science and Technology showed that goat’s milk as per 200 milligram serving can provide 20 percent of the daily requirements for calcium, four percent for vitamin A, and eight percent for iron. 
 The MBRLC also bats for reforestation through its SALT 3 system.  “In two hectares, we try to combine agriculture and trees,” Alimoane says.  One hectare is planted to crop while the other hectare is grown with trees.
 Alimoane talks about “tree time zones” of 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 years, within which progressively more valuable products are harvested.  Some very valuable trees could be left longer, and he dubs this “the grandchild project.” He explains, “Plant something for your grandchildren.”
 Among the tree species planted in the SALT 3 model farm are bamboo, Sesbania sesban, “ipil-ipil,” Acacia auriculiformis and A. mangium, Swietenia macrophylla, Pterocarpus indicus (more popularly known as narra), and Samanea saman (rattan is planted below it).   Some of these are planted basically for fuelwood while others are for furniture purposes.
 In the lowlands, the MBRLC promotes a non-conventional gardening scheme called Food Always In The Home (FAITH).  According to Alimoane, the method can also reduce a farmer’s heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides which pose health hazards and wreak havoc on the environment.
 “FAITH is a type of vegetable gardening that can provide the necessary protein, vitamins and mineral requirements needed by a family with six members,” Alimoane points out.  “We designed it in such a way that it requires minimum labor.”
 As the name suggests, there will be vegetables – and some fruits – all throughout the year if its recommended plant is properly followed.  Based on a study, the garden can provide 300 grams (or one bowl) or fresh vegetables daily.
 Another organic farming technique MBRLC endorses is vermicomposting and the use of fermented juices of plants and fruits.  “Use of natural inputs is sometimes regarded as unscientific,” Alimoane says.  “But science is actually catching up.”
 Vermicomposting refers to the process of using earthworms to turn organic waste into vermicompost – also known as vermicast, worm compost, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure – a high quality natural fertilizer and soil conditioner.  Vermicast is being used in the center’s FAITH and ornamental gardens.  It is also used in bagging some of the planting materials.
 “We would be happy to have people come to the center. We can show to them what we are doing and how we are doing them,” Alimoane concludes.