There exist various training centers throughout the country, yet not all have withstood the test of time. In Davao del Sur, one particular training center has remained operational since its establishment in 1971. This center is the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC), situated in barangay Kinuskusan within the municipality of Bansalan.
The continued existence of the center can be attributed to the enduring relevance of its training programs, which have been disseminated over the years. These programs tackle critical issues such as soil erosion, malnutrition, deforestation, food security, and economic stability. The technologies developed by the center over time effectively address these pressing challenges.
“We have technologies that are suited for farmers in the country, particularly those living in the uplands,” says Jethro P. Adang, the current MBRLC director. “Our technologies are simple, applicable, low-cost, and timely.”
Simple, he says, because farmers don’t need elaborate tools in copying our systems. He says that just like the prophet David who defeated the giant Goliath with just a slingshot and a stone, the problems which most upland farms are now facing can be solved by going back to the basics.
“We don’t need modern technologies and high gadgets to defeat the enemy. All we have to do is use what God has provided us through the years,” Adang points out.
The director states that the technologies developed by the center are applicable not only to upland areas but also to lowland regions. However, he notes that there is a tendency to favor uplands, as they account for approximately 60% of the country’s total land area of 30 million hectares.
Farmers don’t need a huge amount of money to start the technology, Adang explains why they are low-cost. “They can start whatever they have in their surroundings,” he says. “And they are timely because the problems they are facing are still true today.”
SALT is the acronym for the technologies the center has developed. And SALT is the first farming system that it is recommending to farmers. “Actually, SALT stands for Sloping Agricultural Land Technology. Basically, the method involves planting of field and permanent crops in 4–5-meter bands between double-controlled rows of nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs,” Adang explains.
Examples of field crops are the legumes (beans, peas, and pulses), cereals (upland rice, corn, and sorghum), root crops (sweet potato, cassava, carrot, and taro), and vegetables (cabbage, ampalaya, tomato, eggplant, etc.). Permanent crops include cacao, coffee, banana, citrus, and fruit trees.
This is where food security enters the picture. “Most farmers are locked into one crop,” Adang points out. A farmer may plant his farm with eggplant and when he harvests the crop, there would be a glut in the market.
But with SALT, a farmer can harvest every now and then. “The farmer has something to look forward to,” Adang says. “Because the harvested crops are just enough for the market, there is a tendency that the price of his produce is much higher.”
Organic farming is practiced in the SALT farm. Double hedgerows of leguminous perennials are planted at 4-5 meters intervals on equal-elevation contours. The hedgerows are pruned frequently (every 5-6 weeks) and the prunings are applied to the crops as a source of fertilizer. This means less expenses for the farmer.
The prunings also served as mulching materials. Mulching creates a microclimate for the plant to grow and perform better. It also protects the soil from erosion during heavy rainfall because the soil is not directly exposed to rain. More importantly, it reduces the salinity level of the soil.
In the SALT farm, you find a mix of permanent crops, cereals, and vegetables. Every third strip of available land is normally devoted to permanent crops. A combination of various cereals and vegetables are planted on the remaining two strips of land. Each has its own specific area so that there can be a seasonal rotation.
“Crop rotation helps to preserve the regenerative properties of the soil and avoid the problems of infertility typical of traditional agricultural practices,” explains Adang on the importance of regular rotation of crops.
The principle of SALT is the same as that used by the Ifugao tribes 300 years ago. “All we are doing is suggesting using nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs instead of rocks,” Adang points out.
Examples of nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs include “ipil-ipil” (Leucaena leucocephala) and “madre de cacao” (Gliricidia sepium). Introduced species like Desmodium rensonii, Flemingia macrophylla, and Indifogera anil are also good hedgerow materials. “We recommend that a combination of these species be planted all over the SALT farm,” Adang suggests.
According to Adang, the reason why SALT came into existence was because of soil erosion. “Soil erosion is an enemy to any nation – far worse than any outside enemy coming into a country and conquering it because erosion is an enemy you cannot see vividly,” said Rev. Harold R. Watson, the first MBRLC director. “It’s a slow creeping enemy that soon possesses the land.”
SALT helps control soil erosion. A seven-year study conducted at the MBRLC showed that a farm tilled in the traditional manner erodes at the rate of 1,163.4 metric tons per hectare per year. In comparison, a SALT farm erodes at the rate of only 20.2 metric tons per hectare per year.
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 like the Philippines within the range of 10-12 metric tons per hectare per year. The non-SALT farm has an annual soil loss rate of 194.3 metric tons per hectare.
Aside from soil erosion, another problem that beset upland farmers is malnutrition. Most members of the family are experiencing malnutrition as they have no sources of protein and other vitamins.
To address the malnutrition problem, MBRLC thinks of raising goats as a possible solution. MBRLC has been raising goats since the mid-1970s and has earned the sobriquet, “Goat center of Davao del Sur.”
Goats are a good source of milk. A research done by the Department of Science and Technology showed that goat’s milk per 200 milligram serving can provide 20 percent of the daily requirements for calcium, four percent for vitamin A, and eight percent for iron. Its fat and protein content are finely divided, which makes it more easily digestible.
Following the success of SALT, the center called the new system as Simple Agro-Livestock Technology (SALT 2). Under this scheme, 40% of the one-half hectare farm is devoted to agricultural crops (like citrus, black pepper, beans, and corn), 40% to livestock (particularly goats), and 20% to forestry (mostly fruit trees and various nitrogen fixing trees and shrubs).
On why goats, Adang says, “Although a goat is small, she can produce as much as four liters of milk every day if she is purebred and is given a ration to meet all of her nutritional requirements.”
In SALT 2, 12 does and one buck are raised. The buck is separated from the does so that when it is time to milk the does, the milk won’t “catch” the “goaty smell” of the buck. During breeding, a doe is brought to the cottage of the buck. The manure is utilized as fertilizer for the forage and the crops.
Studies conducted by the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) showed farmers who raise goats can increase milk yield in backyard farms from 45 liters in 90 days to 135 liters in 180 days. In commercial farms, a farmer can increase his milk production to 360 liters in 180 days.
“At present, dairy production in the Philippines is heavily dependent on imports. There is a need for the industry to accelerate and increase local production to lessen our dependence on import,” said the National Dairy Authority (NDA).
“If only more and more farmers will raise dairy goats in their farms, the health status of our children will improve,” Adang points out. “Not only that, our importation of milk and other dairy products will further decrease.”
