Danao farmers finish organic farming program

CEBU, Philippines – Farmers in different barangays of Danao City have undergone training on organic farming.

The farmers recently graduated from a season-long training of Farmer Field School program in Barangay Licos, Danao City.

Danao City Mayor Ramon "Nito" Durano III and his son Vice Mayor Ramon "Red" Durano VI agreed to upgrade the knowledge of farmers, especially in organic farming.

The 18-week program was a group-based learning process that promotes Integrated Pest Management, an approach that integrates practices in order to control pests such as corn borers that feed on crops.

Danao City Councilor Jose Thaddeus Roble Jr.,  chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, said the program also tends to maximize the farmers' crop yield by making the farmers "understand the proper dosage and time element of planting" based on the knowledge that they have acquired in their training.

Roble added that the city has launched a program on organic agriculture to expose the farmers on the advantages of organic technology over the conventional method.

"Organic farming is less costly compared to the conventional method as it utilizes vermicast and chicken dung which are way cheaper than the chemicals that they are using in their fertilizers," he said.

The program encompassed three phases:  worm production; bookkeeping and disposal of vermicast; and finishing touches which cover the budgeting of the city to support the first and second phase for the farmers to have a continuous and viable support.

Furthermore, Roble shared that the city government is mulling to put up a vermi facility in every barangay so that the farmers can have an access to organic fertilizers.

Trichogramma, an insect that is harmless to vegetations and an efficient destroyer of the eggs of moths and butterflies which are leaf-eaters in the larval stage, will be also given to the farmers for free together with earwigs, an insect that feeds on aphids.

Roble said the city has conducted a program that trains the farmers on how to culture African night crawlers or vermiworms.

"The city will let them (farmers) borrow two kilos of vermiworms to be reproduced in 45 days," he said.

Rhoda Capangpangan, city corn/cassava coordinator, added that the main purpose of such program was to educate farmers on the proper ways of planting crops.

The program is a joint project of the Danao City government and the regional office of the Department of Agriculture.

Meanwhile, the Rural Improvement Club through the Maslog Rural Club Organization will launch its cassava food processing on Friday at Baliang, Danao City.

Interested participants will be lectured on food processing, among others.