Agriculture Business Week

Organic rice farming can be a sustainable and profitable undertaking, especially if farmers will integrate growing fish and vegetables. That’s what Armand and Tere Perez-Saniano are trying to show in their Earthkeepers Learning Farm in Brgy. Lalig, Tiaong, Quezon.

Last October, they put up a 5,000-square meter showcase where they grew organic rice together with their favorite vegetables like tomato, eggplant, hot pepper, taro, soya and okra, as well as fish (tilapia and hito).

The half-hectare lot was divided into five rice paddies, separated by dikes that are about a meter wide. Along the dikes surrounding the rice plants in each paddy, they constructed a canal which was stocked with either tilapia or hito. That’s where they stayed when the rice field water ebbed. But if the water was maintained above the ground, the fish roamed the entire field, in the process feeding on the harmful insects that may have been attacking the rice plants. Their feces also served as fertilizer to the rice plants.

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According  to Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa),  El Niño, a weather phenomenon characterized by dry spells, may peak in February.   Sunstar Davao (28 december 2009) reported  that Davao City and the provinces of Davao Region have been categorized as moderately vulnerable to the El Niño phenomenon alongside with the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Mt Province, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Romblon, Sorsogon, Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Samar, Zamboanga Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga Sur, and Bukidnon. The Center for Initiative and Research on Climate Adaptation (Circa) explained that the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (Eenso) is a recurrent ocean-warming and atmospheric disturbance resulting in deficient rainfall or prolonged drought.  This phenomenon is expected to adversely affect crop production.

Drought is a major limiting factor in farming.  Limited moisture suppresses the growth of crops, weakens the resistance  to pests and diseases, affects nutrient utilization and usually decreases the quality and quantity of yield.  Drought can cause damage to cell membranes.  Not all plants develop antioxidant defense systems to cope with  drought such that application of natural plant supplements that enhances resistance to drought maybe necessary during drought.   Cytokinins, a class of phytohormones, function as antioxidants and have been shown to improve drought resistance and exhibit anti-senescence properties  Musgrave,1994. Thimann (1987) noted that cytokinins delay the senescence process probably by maintaining the integrity of the tonoplast membrane.  Tonoplast membrane is the cytoplasmic membrane surrounding the vacuole, separating the vacuolar contents from the cytoplasm in a cell.  As a membrane, it is mainly involved in regulating the movements of ions around the cell, and isolating materials that might be harmful or a threat to the cell (www.biology-online.org/dictionary)

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In the last five years or so, the high price of commercial fertilizer has become one of the major concerns of our farmers. Due to this, many farmers cannot give their plants substantial amount of fertilize: Also, due to the use of these chemical fertilizers, many important soil nutrients were lost, resulting in unhealthy crops.

Here in Ilocos Sur, it has been agreed to avoid using inorganic fertilizer for five years. The reason, says the local government, is to lessen the cost of production and to restore lost soil nutrients.

For this reason, a vermicomposting facility has been set up at the 16-hectare BaRang-ay Demo farm in Labing, San Juan. Called Demo on Vermiculture utilizing Biodegradable Substrate (DVBS), the facility will serve as a model in the production of organic fertilizer.

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Among the many available fertilizers now in the market, liquid seaweed extract belongs to the most beneficial. This is because it is not only a plant food, but it effectively works as a biostimulant and a soil conditioner as well. Yet, many farmers still do not realize it. Although proven valuable as fertilizer, this product is probably the last that most farmers will think of buying when they go to their local Agri-supply store. They do not see the advantage that liquid seaweed fertilizer is not just organic and natural, but that it comes from a sustainable source and its production is done without harming the environment.

In the Philippine market, there are only a handful of registered and proven seaweed extract and most are even imported and thus expensive. VEGEGROW seaweed extract is a proudly Philippine made product that is proven effective yet economical. It is a natural plant food and biostimulant produced from 100% liquid seaweed extracts. It passed through a scientific extraction process that is designed to maximize the derived amount of primary, secondary and trace elements, as well as the naturally occurring plant growth regulators and other beneficial compounds. It is non-fibrous and non-neutralized alkali extracted.

Vegegrow works on a wide variety of crops and is compatible with other inputs. It provides a wide range of beneficial effects that include providing a well-balanced nutrition, improved growth & development of crops, increase resistance to biotic and abiotic stress, soil conditioning and enhanced yield. Vegegrow combines in one unique formulation the essential properties of three (3) seaweed species found in tropical waters namely Euchema cotonii, Euchema spinosum, Sargasum polycystum.  These are the same seaweed species used to produce food supplements, food ingredients and enhancers, cosmetics etc., proving its being safe for environment and humans.

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Ideas in organic gardening and how to survive under climate change will be among the top topics in the daily lectures that will be held in conjunction with Horticulture 2010, the annual garden show of the Philippine Horticultural Society to be held on January 29 to February 8.

The lectures will be held at the Greenhouse No. 2 of the Manila Seedling Bank at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, according to Wendy Regalado, PHS president.

On January 30, at 10 a.m., Tony de Castro will lecture on vermiculture for organic gardening while at 2 p.m., Pearl Banaag, president of World Flower Council, will demonstrate avant garde floral arrangement.

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Filipino-made bio-organic plant supplement made from fruit extracts and beneficial microorganisms can increase crop yields by as much as 30 percent while reducing the use of chemical fertilizer by 50 percent in the initial cropping.

The bio-organic fertilizer, called Seed Growth, was developed by renowned inventor Engr. Glenn T. Castillo by using nanotechnology which deals with the development of materials or devices within the size of 100 nanometers or smaller in at least one dimension.

According to agriculturist Dann Revaula of G’Core Group which distributes Seed Growth, farmers can expect high yield from using it on rice, corn, vegetables, plantation crops, fruit trees, and even aquaculture.

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Here’s an in-depth look at the world of organic farming for both livestock and organic.

Organic agriculture in the Philippines is still in its embryonic phase when compared to agricultural sectors of other countries. However, organic agriculture in the country is fast gaining ground. Though organic agricultural production is limited, it is steadily growing, between 10-20% annually. The organic market in the country is currently considered as a “niche market.” But producers need not be discouraged. Top marketing experts have predicted that in the coming trends, it is in the niche markets where profits lie. Organic products are also penetrating the major supermarkets with a price premium ranging from 20% to 50% over non-organic products.

The President of Philippines approved a document on the “Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines” in 2005-Executive Order 481. This recognizes the marketability potential of organic agriculture in the country and also provides government support to the development of the organic sector of agriculture. EO 481 also hopes to establish an organic agriculture program that will adopt and develop organic product markets, the education of more farmers, the extension of assistance to individuals and groups who are practicing and promoting these methods, and documentation and evaluation of the programs.

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A seaweed-based organic fertilizer which is said to address micronutrient deficiencies, particularly zinc (Zn) deficiency, in rice and other crops was one of the products that farmers should not have missed at the recent Agrilink trade show held at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City.

The fertilizer is called MegaZinc Plus, which is claimed to increase rice yield by a minimum of 20 cavans per hectare, increase resistance of rice plants to pest and diseases, increase tillering, induce uniform maturity of grains, and increase milling recovery. It has 1.62% zinc seaweed extracts plus auxins, gibberelins and cytokinins as active ingredients.

Florentino Pangilinan, owner and general manager of Central Luzon Farmers Agro Center in Cabanatuan City, the producer of MegaZinc Plus, said that zincis the most critical micronutrient to rice growth, with Zn deficiency now considered as the third most widespread nutrient disorder in lowland rice areas of Asia, next to nitrogen and phosphorus.

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The Culinary Education Foundation (CEF), the social arm of the Cravings Group of Companies, takes a “greener” step by promoting that a zero-waste lifestyle is not only a way of life, but can also boost income and aid in the livelihood of people especially in times of economic crisis.

The CEF is currently conducting livelihood seminars that offer tips on recycling programs that promote unique and modern ways of starting one’s own business – using the greener approach.

The training programs, which began last August at the Kaingin Ecology Center in Barangay Pansol, Kaingin 1, runs every Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 12 noon until October 2009. All courses are scheduled at weekly intervals.

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Coco sugar and other organic products from Lanao del Norte sold like the proverbial hotcake at the 2009 National Livelihood Trade Fair at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City under the auspices of the Philippine Chamber of Handicrafts, Inc. and the Congressional Spouses Foundation, Inc.

Besides coco sugar, the other organic products from Lanao del Norte included honeymansi with pineapple, honeymansi concentrate plain, pineapple marmalade, bangus in corn oil packed in glass container, coco honey and coconut vinegar which are all manufactured without any preservatives.

A lot of people bought the coco sugar although the price is much higher than the sugar from sugarcane. The coco sugar is in the form of fructose which is superior healthwise compared to the sucrose in the ordinary sugar from sugarcane.

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What does “organic” mean?

In terms of pure chemistry, any food item (even Cheese Whiz) is invariably “organic” because they contain carbon as part of carbohydrates, proteins, or lipids. But the kind of “organic” we’re talking about when it comes to groceries is quite a bit different. The USDA now has special regulations defining “organic” foods. (Canadian standards are similar.)

•  Organic foods must be grown, harvested, and packaged without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, or preservatives.

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Organic farming is a vibrant commercial agricultural system practiced in 120 countries, covering 31 million hectares of cultivated lands and an additional 62 million hectares of certified, wild harvested areas. In 2006, the organic market was worth US$40 billion and it is expected to reach US$70 million by 2012.

Professor Ivette Perfecto, a researcher from the University of Michigan, believes that organic farming can feed the world’s growing population. She said the idea that people would go hungry if farming went organic is “ridiculous.”

She pointed out: “Corporate interest in agriculture and the way agriculture research has been conducted in land grant institutions, with a lot of influence by the chemical companies and pesticide companies as well as fertilizer companies – all have been playing an important role in convincing the public that you need to have these inputs to produce food.”

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Small-scale farmers in the uplands of Kalinga have increase production of indigenous rice with the use of vermicompost from the culture of earthworms, says Virginai Buliyat, development facilitator of Heifer International Philippines (HI-IP)

Forty farmers and their families at Barangay Upper Kalinga in the Municipality of Lubuagan were assisted by the HI-P with the provision of nine goats (AngloNubian and Toggenburg breeds) per family. The goats are fed with grass and leaves of legumes such as Flemingia and kakawate. The manure of the goats is then converted into organic fertilizer through vermicomposting, or the production of vermicompost with earthworms.

“We learned the process of vermicomposting from a training conducted by the Kalinga-Apayao State College in Tabuk City last year,” Buliyat relates. “We also procured our initial stocks of the African nightcrawler, a composting earthworm species, from the KASC.”

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UPLB-NEDA’s agri project Enhancing Production and Profitability of Market Oriented Organic Vegetables in CALABARZON’ is giving farmers their second wind.

Back in 2005, the authorization of Executive Order 481 titled “Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines” further fortified the need for an information system for organic agriculture. Signed last August 2006, the rules and regulations specified that the secretariat of the National Technical Committee and the National Organic Agriculture Board, is lodged with the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards.

Organic farming in the country has also improved since the demand for organic produce has skyrocketed for the past few years. Thanks to different organic markets in the Metro and bagsakan centers in rural areas that now promote and give organic farmers a chance to sell their products.

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