Soybean is one of the most suitable leguminous crops for cultivation in Cagayan Valley. It serves as a good alternate crop in terms of crop diversification and increased farmers income. It also improves soil health and fertility and provides food as protein source for better human and livestock nutrition. It was, therefore, unfortunate that soybean production in the province was recorded at almost zero in 2010, with blames imputed on market and use related factors.
To revive the commodity, combination of different project strategies became necessary, thus the launching of the program on Enhancing Soybean Productivity and Local Availability in Region 2.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), the program aimed to develop sustainable local soybean production towards food security and better nutrition for Filipinos.
With its implementation in 2011, the program created awareness on the importance of soybean for human, livestock, soil health, and nutrition. This was done through the promotion of soybean production and its use as business enterprise for the subsistent farming communities of Cagayan Valley.
To do this, the program, as a vital concern, ensured the availability of better planting materials. About 5,000-10,000 kgs of new/improved soybean varieties were made available in existing and expansion areas. It also demonstrated and promoted production, post production, and food/feed processing technologies.
As a way of promoting the commodity, the program introduced the use of soybean as an intercrop and rotation crop in cereals and fruit/forest-tree based areas, source of protein for the households, for the processing and marketing of attractive and competitive soybean-based food products, and even as feeds for swine.
In support of Cagayan Valley’s micro, small and medium enterprises, the program likewise capacitated and developed the business interest and livelihoods of at least 20 small farming communities and local food processors. These people sustainably produce, use, and process organic soybeans into primary and secondary products.
Among those who benefited by the program were the local women. This can be seen in the increasing number of small enterprises/livelihoods dominantly handled by them. One of such enterprises is swine backyard raising, which uses non-food grade soybean harvest for feed formulation.
But with all the interesting outcomes of the program, one thing is most significant. With the promotion and adoption of organic production farming and good agricultural practices, soybean yield increased from 1,250 kgs/ha to 2,175kgs/ha, providing the farmers with a net income of Php 40,000 from Php19,000/ha.
With these interventions, coupled with a strong public-private partnership, from almost zero production in 2010, about 1,750 hectares of the land in Cagayan Valley, as of 2017, were already planted to soybean.
Thanks to the aggressive participation of local government units, national agencies, people’s organizations and farming communities who joined efforts and took the program as their own.
The Soybean R&D Program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), “Improvement of Soybean for Better Nutrition, Higher Income and Enhanced Soil Health” that started in May 2018 complements this initiative of DA-BAR. Both programs aim to increase farmers’ income by integrating soybean in different cropping systems and improve the supply of local soybeans from more efficient supply chains and from higher productivity of food-grade soybeans on farm.
The program being implemented in Regions 2, 10, 11, and 13 is one of PCAARRD’s undertakings in its continuing pursuit of "Excellence in Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Innovations."
PCAARRD will celebrate its seventh year anniversary on June 22, 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Pasay City, where it will recognize the effort of its partners through the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Development (NSAARRD). The project is one of the three finalists in NSAARRD’s, development category.