Successful Farming in a Geographically Challenged Area
It’s because this 62-year-old farmer considers it an opportunity to produce more from his 1.25-hectare farm in Malinawon, Mawab, Compostella Valley where climatic condition is very unpredictable. The regular dry season (November to April) in Compostella Valley is sometimes considered the wet season and vice versa. And this situation and technological constraints, challenged Vigilia to think of other ways in managing his farm.
Having attended trainings on rice production, Vigilia has incorporated traditional farming practices with new ones. One of these is ensuring proper soil nutrition.
“I always make sure that my farm is in good shape every start of the season. I learned from an expert at the Bureau of Soils and Water Management that the use of organic fertilizer can make the soil healthier,” Vigilia shares.
To save on cost, he makes organic fertilizer out of farm wastes like rice straw, banana peel, and pig manure mixed with trichoderma solution. He also maintains a portion of his farm for in situ composting.
He applies fertilizer in three splits. “During basal application, I use 10 bags of organic fertilizer and 3 bags of inorganic fertilizer. I believe [that by doing this,] the soil will get the primary nutrients it needs. As they say, with healthy soil comes healthy crop,” Vigilia said.
For second fertilizer application, he applies ammonium sulfate mixed with a bag of 0-0-60 70 days after transplanting. And as the last split, he does spot application of foliar fertilizer.
“I would have not known these if I have not opened my door to new technologies promoted by the government,” Vigilia said, adding, “The knowledge I have gained from training on a pest management has also been of great help.”
And that is true. He has learned that he should maintain the presence of beneficial organisms in his farm, for he can use these to control the harmful ones. For instance, he counts the number of spiders and estimates if its population matches that of the rice bugs. If there are more spider than bugs, it means it is unnecessary to apply insecticides.
In controlling stemborer, the most prevalent pest in Malinawon, he only sprays insecticides when the infestation becomes critical. “I do it three times at most at a 15-day interval. It is expensive and destructive to overdo it,” he advised.
It was only in 2003 when Vigilia started planting hybrid rice. He tried the public-bred Mestizo and another hybrid variety of a private company.
“I used to get an average of 5.7 tons per hectare. I thought that was enough until I tried hybrid rice [from which] I harvested as much as 9.6 tons per hectare,” Vigilia said.
Last season (May to November), he had a net income of P76,000 per hectare in rice. And as always, he saved on production cost with his cost-efficient farming practices.
He also grows vegetables and fruit crops, raises goats and chickens, and maintains a fishpond. With his income from all of these, he was able to send his four children to school, and they have all graduated from college.
He wishes that his fellow farmers become successful in farming, too. And with that, he wants to share his knowledge on new farming practices.
“My expenses do not go beyond what my fellow farmers spend, but I always produce more than they do. I want them to experience the same,” he said.
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