“Contour farming and planting of hedgerows does farming wonders,” thus affirmed Magsasaka Siyentista Divina Padencio after having seen how the practice made possible the successful planting of fruit trees and vegetables in a sloping area in a Manobo community in Tacloban City.
“The said farming strategies have reduced soil erosion and at the same time enhanced soil deposit along hedge rows“, Padencio claimed during the technology field day of the Science and Technology-based Farm (STBF) Project on agroforestry in a Manobo Integrated Forestry Management Agreement Area in Brgy. Bagacay, Tacloban City held recently.
Padencio shared her learning on how to operate and apply the A-Frame to establish contour lines and plant hedge rows of “kakawate” and vetiver grass. She also used the plastic mulch to cover the vegetables plantings. She also introduced the mixed cropping system to showcase contour farming and adopted the alley cropping as a soil conservation strategy.
Padencio showed an investment analysis indicating an increase in the annual farm net income from P36,000 to P102,872 with her adoption of the science and technology (S&T) interventions such as alley cropping and multi-story agroforestry farming system.
Eighty-five participants joined the field visit to the agroforestry area. They were composed of farmers, researchers, and staff members of local government units, Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Research Program, Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 8, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); and representatives of people’s organizations from Tacloban City, Tenani Parana, Samar, and the Calibaan Farmers Livelihood Association.
Regional Technical Director Manolito Ragub of the Ecosystem Research and Development Service (ERDS) in Region 8 emphasized that the field day which promotes Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) is one of the ways by which DENR addresses climate change concerns.
The field day was also highlighted by other activities such as photo exhibits of ERDS technologies and the display of products/harvest by the Manobo farmers for sale. The technology field day program provided an opportunity and a venue for farmers and other participants to share and exchange information on improving agroforestry production using S&T interventions.