Change agents to intensify veggie organic farming in SoCotabato

By Danilo E. Doguiles

Monday 16th of July 2012

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, July 16 (PIA) -- South Cotabato’s first group of trainees will begin their mission next month as change agents pushing for massive adoption of organic vegetable farming in the province.

Dave Nicolas of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) of the Department of Agriculture (DA-12) said at least 39 “change agents,” composed of 32 agricultural technicians and seven farmer-leaders, will complete 16 weeks of comprehensive trainers’ training on organic vegetable growing this month.

“All local government units in South Cotabato are represented in this group of trainees,” Nicolas said, assuring the province’s 10 municipalities and lone city with at least three trainers who can help the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPAG) advocate organic vegetable growing in their respective areas.

“They will serve as OPAG’s extension workers who would guide local farmers in growing organic crops,” he said.

Nicolas said, the training set up follows the farmers’ field school (FFS) strategy where the participants actually manage a farm and experience the entire production process in one cropping season.

In April, the group set up plots of tomatoes and cauliflowers inside the eight-hectare South Cotabato Research and Demonstration Farm at Sitio Pedregosa, Rizal, Banga as their experimental gardens as well as showcase for other farmers to observe.

Participants are expected to begin harvesting their crops this week.

“Their training started with the study of the morphology of crops as well as the characteristics of pests and diseases that affect them,” he explained.

They heard lectures and practicum on all cultural management aspects from seedbed preparation to postharvest, excluding application of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pest control.

“We are following the Asian Research Development Center’s recommendation for organic soil incorporation of 30 tons per hectare or two kg of organic matter per square meter,” he said.

As part of their integrated pest management, rows of marigold, lemon basil, and lemongrass, were planted as fence of the organic gardens and served as “natural insect repellants.”

Nicolas said that in the course of study, the participants had observed several advantages of growing organic vegetables, “including much lesser production cost and better quality produce,” and that their crops do not look inferior to crops grown using chemicals.

“We should also realize that with organically produced vegetables we also reduce the risk of chemical residue contamination in our food,” he added. “Besides, organically-grown food has better quality and has higher natural value.”

“Not only that, with continuous organic farming, we also prevent further degradation of our environment and over time restore the quality of soil in our farms,” Nicholas added.

Regarding the issue on reduced production in organic farms, Nicolas said, “Although we have yet to determine our volume of production, we are assured that the difference compared to the traditional approach would not be much.”

“In fact, farmers could earn better return of investment because of reduced production cost since all pest control and fertilizers are already available in nature,” he explained. “Organic products also command better prices.”

The trainers’ training on organic vegetable growing is being implemented by ATI in partnership with the provincial local government unit, OPAG-South Cotabato and DA-12.

At the grand farmers’ field day on Thursday, provincial agriculturist Reynaldo Legaste said around 1,000 hectares of farms in Surallah are now organically producing rice.

Organic farming of vegetables and other food crops is also gaining grounds in Koronadal City as well as in Norala, Banga, and other municipalities. (DED-PIA12)