Agriculture department balances farming systems

Friday, October 14, 2011

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet - Economically, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is now integrating commercial to organic farming in the region.

Noel Villa, assistant regional program officer of DA, said they will still pursue the promotion of organic farming but will modify it with new arising technologies.

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He added there’s no problem in using commercialized farming like fertilizer application as long as farmers will not abuse it.

“We have to teach the farmers how to evaluate their fields for the proper application of fertilizers may it be organic or commercialize,” said Villa.

Agriculturist II Edwin Dicksen of the Agricultural Training Institute also agreed with Villa saying, “we can’t prohibit the farmers in using commercialized fertilizers because they are just being practical. If they will stick to organic farming, they will have to wait for three years for the establishment of the soil.”

He further said they understand the sentiments of the farmers. Because farmers have to maximize the cropping season to provide their family’s needs.

Dicksen explained if a farmer aims to produce organic products, he should continuously use organic materials in his field within three years so as to establish the soil. This results to low yield especially on rice production because the farmers have to wait for three years.

Hence, DA will integrate commercial farming in their organic rice farming program. This program aims to alleviate food shortage and increase productivity and profitability in Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR).

Under the program is the ongoing training of trainers on upland rice ecosystem cum farmers’ field school on climate change held at ATI-CAR. It started last Monday and will end October 19.

There are 46 participants, all agricultural extension workers, from the different provinces of the region.

Dicksen will be lecturing on the new technologies on farming as well as with the new varieties of rice, which are introduced by the Philippine Rice Research Institute.