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SMALL FARMING: Beyond Meeting Food Self-Sufficiency
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Masipag News & Views
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Dec 03, 2001 00:42 PST
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SMALL FARMING: BEYOND MEETING FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY
(A story of a small farmer in the Philippines who transformed a harsh
terrain into a farm now teeming with diversity.)
Mr. Rodolfo Oray or Nong Dolfo has been farming for over 20 years now.
He lives with his wife, Nang Raquel, and six children at the upland Tapi
village, Kabankalan City of Central Philippines.
Strategically located close to the center of the family’s 3.5 has farm,
a modest house made of nipa serves not only as a refuge after a day of
farm work or school, but also a place where collective ideas of farm
innovations are born.
Teeming with diverse varieties of plants, animals, and yes, even
beneficial insects, the Oray farm is a fruit of an uneasy journey –
pushed by harsh socio-economic realities, tempered by the acquisition of
knowledge, and refined through years of actual farm practice.
Negros Famine
Nong Dolfo used to farm in Hinoba-an where he grew mostly fruit trees
along with a few pigs and chickens. In the early 80’s, at the height of
fierce fighting between government troopers and the New People’s Army
guerrillas, Nong Dolfo was twice arrested on suspicion of supporting the
NPA. He was already an active peasant leader then.
Pushed by military harassment, the Oray family left for Tapi and started
to farm 1.3 hectares inherited from Dolfo’s grandfather in 1985. The
land was for years planted to sugarcane.
A rural barangay, Tapi is planted largely to sugarcane, a crop that
dominates the province’s agricultural landscape. Of its total 2,134
hectares agricultural land, 52% or 1,100 hectares are devoted to
sugarcane. Combined rice and corn area comprises only 16% or 331
hectares.
The single crop farming system brought about widespread famine in the
mid-80’s when sugar industry collapsed due to depressed world market
prices and industry monopoly.
The sugar crisis began to subside in the late ‘80’s. The need for
diversification was realised even by the provincial government that
campaigned for a multicrop farming system. But close to a decade
thereafter, Negros Occidental has remained a huge sugarland.
Meeting Food Self-sufficiency
The onset of Oray farm development in 1985 was bleak. Nong Dolfo found
himself trapped in a land where soil could not provide enough support
for plant growth. The terrain was harsh for rice farming. Being poor, he
had little to give to the land; and the land gave him little in return.
Food for the still small family was not enough. Nong Dolfo had to do
extra jobs in a nearby sugar plantation rendering tapas-karga service
(harvesting and loading sugarcane).
To augment the family’s meagre income, he would explore far-flung areas
of Tapi and nearby barangays hunting for turtles. A delicacy Cebu, Nong
Dolfo would sell them for P1 per piece. If lucky enough to catch at
least 15, two gantas of rice could be bought – a sure food for the
family for a few days.
Birth Pains
The first challenge on the farm development was the sloping landscape.
For the first two years, Nong Dolfo worked hard levelling the land, as
it was necessary for proper water management.
The lowland was planted to high yielding varieties of palay – IR-64.
Only the second crop was planted in 1985 and the 0.86 ha field yielded a
low 27 cavans . Due to late planting, ricebugs infested the farm and
destroyed most of the crop.
A year after in 1986, an additional 2.2 hectares (part of the family
land formerly lost to a sugar baron land grabber) were recovered by the
Oray family through agrarian struggle. The acquisition completed today’s
farm size of 3.5 hectares.
Poor Soil
But the newly acquired land, devastated by sugar farming methods, had
very acidic soil. Topography varies from plain to steep slopes with most
of it moderately sloping. Most of those moderate slopes have shallow
soil (one foot before reaching bedrock).
Whereas the first land was a mostly gentle slope that could be made into
paddy, the new land had steeper slopes more suited to upland conditions
with some rocky steep slopes not suited to annual cropping.
Those moderate slopes increased the importance of corn and traditional
rice varieties. Root crops (cassava and kamote) as well as banana were
also planted to ensure staple self reliance.
With the new crops added, food self-sufficiency was attained in 1987.
But at the same time, Nong Dolfo started to live the problems commonly
afflicting farmers: soil erosion, pest resistance, unstable income and
dependence on loan.
Generating Surpluses
Trainings
Acquisition of additional knowledge laid the ground for the farm’s
upward movement.
In 1987, Nong Dolfo participated in a Soil and Water Management Seminar
where he realized some of the problems affecting his farm. He learned
the technology for erosion control and the importance of nutrient
conservation. During the same period, Nong Dolfo got training on nursery
management.
Two years of hard labour and his farm was no longer the typical farm
found on the Negros Island. Erosion on the steepest slopes was slowed by
planting pineapples along the contour lines. Check dams and soil traps
were dug on another part of the farm and trees planted along the contour
lines.
Different species of trees and vegetables were planted. Contouring began
to address the problems of erosion and fertility. With the help of the
community, a small forest was established on the steepest part of the
farm that could not be cultivated. Help was needed for planting and
watering the seedlings. That mini-forest is now owned communally.
The new land coupled with increase in soil fertility brought by the new
techniques allowed to increase vegetables cultivation from subsistance
to commercial levels. Rotation with leguminous crops, (peanuts,
soybeans, mung beans, rice beans and sitao), as emphasised in the soil
and water conservation seminar. Fertilisation was completed with animal
manure and crop residues.
Because of the diversity of crops and the small size of each field, the
vegetable garden harboured few pests and diseases. They did not justify
the use of pesticides. They were always managed organically. Upland
crops were also grown organically. Chemicals were only used for lowland
rice.
Adopting MASIPAG
In 1991, the diversification process had a new twist when Nong Dolfo
joined the network of MASIPAG farmers in the Philippines. After
attending a MASIPAG training that year on alternative rice farming, Nong
Dolfo started conducting his own trial with 54 MASIPAG cultivars.
The following year 10 cultivars were selected for mass production on one
third of the lowland area. Beginning 1994, the whole area was planted
with the selected cultivars which have been rotated using three or four
each cropping season.
Chemical fertiliser and insecticides were used on the IRRI rice until
the end. The farm was then fully organic starting in 1994.
At that time a training centre was built on his farm, overlooking the
rice field. This in turn brought a lot of visitors pressing him to be a
good model farmer but also bringing a lot of new ideas.
Improving on the MASIPAG Model
For the first years, Nong Dolfo followed the indications of the MASIPAG
staff but as he became familiar with the techniques and gained
confidence from the cross visits, Dolfo started experimenting to solve
specific problems not addressed by the National office.
Pest pressure was reduced by the tolerant varieties and use of organic
fertilisation. Despite that, some problems still remained.
Nothing had been said of the golden kuhol (snail). Nong Dolfo knew that
they liked to eat gabi so tried feeding them to see if they would prefer
gabi and let the crop alone. That happened to be true.
Cassava is a favorite of rats so a plot was planted along the paddy to
keep them off the crop. He also built a large net that he uses to catch
insect pests.
The recipe of organic liquid fertiliser from a seminar was improved to
better suit the farm. Weed management was greatly simplified with the
use of a row marker and weeder.
Improving on the MASIPAG Model
For the first years, Nong Dolfo followed the indications of the MASIPAG
staff but as he became familiar with the techniques he started his own
approaches.
Today, the Oray farm is highly diversified and integrated. There are
rice paddies. The sloping portion is planted to grains and vegetables
grown in commercial quantity. There are simple contour hedgerows where
perennial plants are grown and contour hedgerow with check dams to
manage water.
The communal tree area is planted to mahogany and serves as windbreak
and watershed. A vegetable garden is in the very steep and rocky areas
for home consumption, and a little wild area is maintained which serves
as home for a growing population of beneficial insects.
Animal husbandry is extensive. The pigs tied to a shelter close to the
house are fed a ration of rice bran twice or thrice a day along with
kangkong. Other animals forage freely.
The water buffaloes and goats are moved three to four times daily.
Ducks, chickens, and turkeys are free ranging. Tilapia, catfish and
native snails are kept in a fish pond. Others are also in the rice
paddies.
In the communal farm, corn is planted. Nong Dolfo unselfishly shares
this portion of his farm to his organization PATDA. Works in the area
are done in a dagyaw (collective work) system by members. It covers
about 0.20 hectare.
Timber and fruit trees are scattered all over the farm in a relatively
organised fashion. They are planted in between fields alongside annual
crops. Others are on marginal areas: very steep slopes, farm boundaries
and along the creek bank. Fruit trees include 50 guava, 15 papayas and
more than 50 clusters of bananas.
Farming: a Collective Affair for the Oray Family
Farming is a collective affair for the Oray family. Labour division
provides opportunities for most members to attend to other personal and
social functions. Tasks are based however on the physical capacity of
each member.
Nong Dolfo does heavy works like plowing, under brushing, dike repairs
and seed broadcasting. For fertilisation, Nong Dolfo is responsible of
applying leaves and spraying.
Except for the youngest, the children are tasked to collect animal
manure and bring it to the field. They also help in weeding and pest
control when hand picking is involved. They do this after school.
The house is an integral part of the farm. Its being strategically
located near the farm’s centre, saves time and energies for the toiling
family.
Managing the farm has almost become a participatory effort. Household
chores are taken communally. The boys fetch water, gather firewood and
help clean the house. The girls assist in cooking, dish and clothes
washing and house cleaning. Everybody takes turn in taking care of
one-year-old Reynan.
With the domestic burdens shared by most members, Nang Raquel has more
opportunities to attend to important farm works. She does sowing,
weeding and harvesting and is solely responsible for the kaingin area
after initial clearing by Nong Dolfo.
On his side, sharing the workload gives Nong Dolfo time to perform his
many organisational duties as trainer, barangay official and vaccinator.
The farm decision making is a conjugal matter. Farm activities are
discussed every morning by the couple. When Nong Dolfo is away, Nang
Raquel takes over farm management.
Challenges Ahead
Achieving healthy balance for the farm’s ecology is a big challenge for
Nong Dolfo and his family. And he knows everything starts with the right
attitude, and good ideas.
The Oray family is teeming with ideas on how to further develop the farm
– more indigenous species of trees to be planted, a livestock
area near the creek.
For years, the Oray farm has remained a favourite field exposure site
for students, agriculturists, researchers visiting foreigners, and most
especially, fellow farmers.
It has become a spring, though not of water, but of great ideas on how
to farm and live in harmony with the environment. (MNV)
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