The city government of Davao City is facing a huge job as it starts the delineation of agricultural lands next month as provided under the Organic Agriculture Ordinance of Davao City or City Ordinance 0384-10.
City Agriculture Office (CAO) officer-in-charge Leonardo Avila III said based on the ordinance, the city government will identify and declare organic agricultural zones.
In the process, he said big plantations located in watershed areas will practically be affected as aside from being prohibited, these big plantations using the traditional chemical-based farming will be affecting those practicing organic or natural farming in the lower grounds, through contamination.
“It is not remote that some areas that will be declared as organic agricultural zones are located below big plantations that are chemically-based. The zones cannot be declared as such as chemicals coming from the plantations above will be flowing down below affecting the organically-grown farmlands. “In this case, the plantations (mostly banana plantations) have either to change crop or be required to shift to organic farming,” Avila said. [PNA]
