DO not burn rice stalks and hulls, the agriculture department (DA) tells farmers while reminding them to promote agriculture development and conserve environmental resources.
Rice hull burning is a traditional cultural practice of many farmers in the country, mainly for weed control and increased yield.
Executive Order No. 481, also known as the Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines, signed by Pres. Gloria Arroyo, declares the promotion of agriculture development, social equity, access to agriculture and fishery commodities while conserving the environment.
And in recognizing the big potential of organic agriculture in increasing local consumption of agricultural products, DA-9 collaborated with the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) in implementing the Organic Fertilizer Production Project.
This is through the provision of Community-Based Composting Facility (CBCF) to various LGUs and farmers and women’s groups around Zamboanga Peninsula, with 16 already distributed in Zamboanga Sibugay, 15 in Zamboanga del Norte and one in Zamboanga City.
A memorandum of agreement with DA and BSWM will govern the delivery of CBCF, which costs about P350,000 each, and the kind of vermi technology involved, said BSWM area coordinator Florentino Agustin.
A CBCF package includes a shredder machine, two tea brewers, three vermibeds and 15 kilos of African night crawler worms to be used in vermi-composting. A capacity-building training is included, which teaches recipients on the production of pure vermicast.
Angelita Marcia, BSWM vermicomposting specialist, said waste disposal can be lessened through vermicomposting, where earthworms convert biodegradable organic wastes into organic composts.
Representing RED Oscar Parawan, Alex Pulmano, assistant chief for operations, said that DA’s promotion of agricultural development and food production should be both environment and health friendly.
He mentioned that they have noticed the decline of corn production in the region, which he believes is due to climate change, especially the irregular variations of the weather condition.
This is when farmers should start using organic compost and do away with inorganic fertilizer and pesticides in order to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming, Pulmano said.
Provincial Agriculturist Marilyn Bersales likewise explained that the use of organic fertilizer is safe and beneficial to human consumers because of the absence of harmful chemicals.
Bersales recalled that organic farming was practiced in previous decades thus ecological balance prevailed but soon, diversified farming technology inputs gave way to chemical-based agriculture and resulted to different negative impacts.
The agriculture sector has been found to have contributed at least 32 percent to global warming owing to inappropriate burning of farm wastes and injudicious use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
REPORT BY REMAI ALEJADO, DA-9
Rice hull burning is a traditional cultural practice of many farmers in the country, mainly for weed control and increased yield.
Executive Order No. 481, also known as the Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines, signed by Pres. Gloria Arroyo, declares the promotion of agriculture development, social equity, access to agriculture and fishery commodities while conserving the environment.
And in recognizing the big potential of organic agriculture in increasing local consumption of agricultural products, DA-9 collaborated with the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) in implementing the Organic Fertilizer Production Project.
This is through the provision of Community-Based Composting Facility (CBCF) to various LGUs and farmers and women’s groups around Zamboanga Peninsula, with 16 already distributed in Zamboanga Sibugay, 15 in Zamboanga del Norte and one in Zamboanga City.
A memorandum of agreement with DA and BSWM will govern the delivery of CBCF, which costs about P350,000 each, and the kind of vermi technology involved, said BSWM area coordinator Florentino Agustin.
A CBCF package includes a shredder machine, two tea brewers, three vermibeds and 15 kilos of African night crawler worms to be used in vermi-composting. A capacity-building training is included, which teaches recipients on the production of pure vermicast.
Angelita Marcia, BSWM vermicomposting specialist, said waste disposal can be lessened through vermicomposting, where earthworms convert biodegradable organic wastes into organic composts.
Representing RED Oscar Parawan, Alex Pulmano, assistant chief for operations, said that DA’s promotion of agricultural development and food production should be both environment and health friendly.
He mentioned that they have noticed the decline of corn production in the region, which he believes is due to climate change, especially the irregular variations of the weather condition.
This is when farmers should start using organic compost and do away with inorganic fertilizer and pesticides in order to mitigate the adverse effects of global warming, Pulmano said.
Provincial Agriculturist Marilyn Bersales likewise explained that the use of organic fertilizer is safe and beneficial to human consumers because of the absence of harmful chemicals.
Bersales recalled that organic farming was practiced in previous decades thus ecological balance prevailed but soon, diversified farming technology inputs gave way to chemical-based agriculture and resulted to different negative impacts.
The agriculture sector has been found to have contributed at least 32 percent to global warming owing to inappropriate burning of farm wastes and injudicious use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
REPORT BY REMAI ALEJADO, DA-9
