|
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Negros 'Organic' Fest set
By Genalin D. Ducay
BY ENVISIONING the Negros Island as the organic food island in Asia, both Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental will be having the 1st Negros Island Organic Farmer's Festival on July 13 to 15.
The event, themed "Organik na Negros", will be held at the Negros Occidental Multi-Purpose Activity Center.
The three-day festival will include a symposia on the different strategies in promoting sustainable technologies in organic rice and corn production, responsible fishery management, strategies in organic vegetable and sugarcane production as well as livestock production among others.
Just last year Governor Joseph Maranon and Negros Oriental's Governor George Arnaiz signed a Memorandum of Agreement to promote organic farming in the island.
Pamela Henares of the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Resources Development Foundation (NISARD) cited several benefits from organic farming.
The demand of the national government to increase production poses a challenge to organic farming advocates.
Henares though clarified that contrary to what most people believed, organic farming does not decrease yields.
"If we use the right amount of organic fertilizer there will not be a drop in production. Using organic fertilizer makes the soil fertile, and increase the population of microorganisms that were wiped out by chemical fertilizers," Henares said.
Henares added that using chemical fertilizers, although producing impressive result, is a short-term remedy, which will cause problems in the long run.
With executive order no. 481, or the promotion and development of organic agriculture in the Philippines, the national government encourages the practice of organic agriculture as a farming scheme.
The order also states that organic agriculture would enhance global competitiveness, environmental integrity, food security and safety, increases productivity and alleviate poverty.
Currently, a number of private and non-government organization's farms in the different areas of the province are into organic farming.
Farms in Bago, Murcia, Sagay, Escalante, San Carlos in Negros Occidental and Valencia in Oriental Negros have experimented the effects of organic farming and have cited positive results.
(June 27, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
