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Archives (2004)

Growing vegetables organically by Rita T. de la Cruz

April-June 2004 Volume 6 No. 2

In Region 10, particularly in Claveria, Misamis Oriental and various municipalities of Bukidnon, growing vegetables the organic way promises to be a winning venture for the farmers. The soil is fertile and the climate is favorable for a whole year of production. With intensive vegetable production, Region 10 could now supply various markets in Luzon and Visayas especially during off-season months when vegetables command a high price.

Changing attitudes
Farmers in Region 10 are still largely influenced by the wrong concept of “high yield, high input technology.” This may be true in some aspects since a farmer would usually spend more in buying costly fertilizers and pesticides, not to mention investing on high yielding seeds. This scenario is particularly difficult for the small farmers who are usually tied up with loans and later fail to pay, making their vegetable production suffer.

But the problem is basically attitudinal. Farmers refuse to adopt new technologies because embedded in their minds are wrong notions of production like additional cost and new adjustments. If this attitudinal problem is solved and farmers are able to see that it is possible to produce more with less, they would eventually adopt the technology.

The agriculturists in Claveria Experiment Station, headed by Mr. Carlos A. Osip conducted a technology demonstration on organically grown vegetables in contoured farms. Basically, the techno-demo aimed to showcase the effect of various organic fertilizer, soil conservation practices and various pest management practices on the production of vegetables and compare the package of technologies' economic advantage over those that were inorganically grown. The techno-demo also tried to prove that with organic farming the farmers could earn more, particularly among small farmers who are still bound by the wrong concept of “producing more with more.”

Technology demonstrated
The technology demonstration was conducted in a contoured area with 10-15 % slope. Contouring the area is one way of conserving the soil and efficiently managing soil nutrients and avoid soil erosion. Planted in the demo site were high-value vegetable crops like tomato, sweet pepper, eggplant, carrots, lettuce, common cabbage, Chinese cabbage, snap beans, and sweet peas.

For the nutrient sources, the techno-demo used various organic fertilizers mostly from farm waste such as sheep and chicken manure that were applied at five tons per hectare and 10 bags per hectare of commercial organic fertilizer.

Integrated approach to pest management was also observed during the techno-demo following a two-month fallow period, crop rotation, thorough land preparation, and application of botanical insecticides and fungicides.

Profit is ensured with organic farming
Results of the field trial showed that in terms of yield, crops that were applied with animal manure performed better compared to those crops that were grown with commercial organic fertilizer and recommended rate of inorganic fertilizer alone. This is because, according to the researchers, the slow release of nutrients from the animal manure minimizes the nutrient losses in the soil resulting to the efficient nutrient uptake of crops resulting in higher yield. Animal manure also serves as a valuable conditioner of the soil, retaining humidity and improving structure and internal drainage.

In terms of marketability, farmers found it easier to sell their crops. Considering people' s preference for healthy food nowadays, organic vegetables command a higher price both in the local and international markets. Farmers also save on inputs since farm wastes like animal manure are readily available and a lot cheaper than inorganic fertilizers.

Researchers also recommended soil conservation farming systems to minimize soil losses due to erosion in upland areas. For acidic soils and areas receiving high rainfall, it is important that farmers apply farm waste since it could increase the yield of crops without spending extra money on fertilizers.

Source:
Carlos A. Osip, Carlota S. Madriaga, Cherlie A. Simene, and Ruben L. Pimentel of Claveria Experiment Station-DA RFU 10, Lanise, Claveria, Misamis Oriental. “Technology Demonstration on Organically Grown Vegetables in Contoured Farms”.

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