Farmer Scientist Reaps Many Benefits from Biogas Digester
Imagine a pigpen that does not emit foul odor, and a household that enjoys free cooking gas and robust crops grown without chemical fertilizer. These are among the many benefits that Felimon “Boy” O Santander of Mandug, Davao City is enjoying nowadays, thanks to biogas technology that he has adopted.
Santander is one of the Magsasaka Siyentista, a part of the Farmer Scientist Bureau under the Techno Gabay Program which is one of the banner programs of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology.
In 1997, Santander, a Political Science graduate, has ventured into his own full-time hog project after being employed at the city government for 11 years. Today, he is concentrating in providing breeding services in his community and in neighboring towns and provinces. He maintains four boars that serve as a source of quality semen for use in artificial insemination services, and few heads for fattening. He is also into piglet and sow dispersal.