Integrated farming concept in Bikol

anyone into adoptation and practicing the palayamanan concept? I suppose this kind of farming technology is very appropriate for self-sustainable enonomy and development of rural farmers in our area.
download palayamanan pdf here: http://www.openacademy.ph/index.php?option=com_docmanItemid=146,just look and click for palayamanan icon.
FOREWORD
Recent studies showed that income from one hectare rice monocropping is insufficient to meet even the financial requirements of a family of five. At present, it is projected that a farming family should at least earn PhP90,000 or farm 2 hectares of land to sustain the family’s financial needs. Cognizant to this, PhilRice has embarked on Palayamanan, a coined term from palay (rice) and kayamanan (wealth), to help the farmers meet their needs.
Palayamanan is the bahay-kubo concept today but it is elevated to a higher level of integration. It combines rice with other high-value crops and trees, fish, poultry, livestock, and biomass recycling. It espouses efficient use of available farm resources and highlights the interconnectivity between each resource and by-product through modern available technologies.
Palayamanan is not a new system of farming; it is an old paradigm and has long been practiced by many farmers. However, despite its benefits both to the farmers and the environment, it has not been adopted by most farmers because of the popularity of the monoculture system (rice-rice) and the lack of knowledge on how to implement it.
This publication shares some ideas on how to integrate the various components to efficiently use farm resources. It is hoped that through this publication, we will be able to encourage farmers to embark on Palayamanan to ensure that food is available on their table, farm productivity is increased, and soil fertility is sustained.
LEOCADIO S. SEBASTIAN
Executive Director
1
BACKGROUND
Reliving the bahay-kubo concept through Palayamanan ensures food availability and increases the productivity, profitability, and economic stability of farm families. Palayamanan is a farming system that highlights the purposive integration of various farming components such as rice and other crops, livestock, fish, and recycling so that nothing is wasted; everything in the farm is a precious resource.
Rice is the major component of the system since it is the staple food of the family and it has low production risks. It is combined with other crops to increase productivity and income and to provide supplementary food for the family. Adding a fishpond and raising poultry and livestock do not only increase income, but they also assure the family a good source of protein and energy. Livestock wastes, on the other hand are used as organic fertilizer. Rice straw can be used as mulch for the vegetable beds and feed supplement for the livestock. Overgrown and unmarketed vegetables are also fed to
animals.
Each Palayamanan farm is unique since the diversification and application of strategies depend on the farmers’ needs, resources, financial capacity, and capability. At the subsistence level, some farmers may not have dramatic increases in income but food becomes secure and readily available. Micro scale commercial production can be done as soon as the income of
the system has been stabilized.
With Palayamanan, the output of one component becomes the input of another.
2
THE PALAYAMANAN SYSTEM
BENEFITS
• Continuous food supply • Higher income and economic stability • Increased farm productivity and sustainability • Reduced production risk • Maximized use of land or better resource allocation • Enhanced diversity and ecological balance REQUIREMENTS
• Capital – depends on what the farmer wants to integrate first • Farm workers – at least three full-time • Land – ideally, one hectare with the following areas: I. Residential area (0.05 ha) . Farmhouse . Nursery . Vegetable garden . Animal production area . Waste recycling area II. Field crop production area (0.75 ha) . Rice-upland crop production area . Rice-fish culture . Continuous cash crop production III. Small Farm Reservoir area (0.20 ha) . Fresh water fish culture . Water catchments . Fruit trees 3
The Palayamanan model farm The Palayamanan model farm THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE ESTABLISHING A PALAYAMANAN FARM
• Find out the possible biomass resource (rice straw, animal waste, etc.) in the farm that can be used to feed animals or improve the farm’s soil quality. • Determine water sources in the area such as rain, pond, shallow tube well, and national or communal irrigation systems. • Consider topography/landscape of the farm in placing the different components. • Consider cropping seasons and determine the best cropping system in planting crops to have high yield (see index for planting calendar). • Know the farm’s soil condition in terms of water holding capacity, workability, and fertility in determining the crops to be planted. • Integrate livestock, aquaculture, and fruit trees into the farm depending on capital and food source for the livestock. • Prioritize components based on what is more practical to integrate first, especially if there is limited budget. 4
STRATEGIES FOR THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS
1. CROPS A. Rice area • Plant about half a hectare with rice to ensure continuous supply. Special purpose rice varieties like aromatic or glutinous rice can also be planted for added income.
• Plant one row of taro along the perimeter of the rice area and along the canals. • Plant the bunds with vegetables such as beans, okra, eggplant, and pepper. Controlled irrigation
For lowland areas, practice intermittent irrigation or irrigate only every 7-10 days after transplanting. Furrow drip or skip row irrigation, on the other hand, can be used for upland crops like vegetables and cash crops. Intermittent irrigation may not be used when rice–fish integration is implemented.
B. Cash crop and vegetable area Cash crop production
• Plant a variety of crops to reduce pest damage and price fluctuation. • Plant high value crops or cash crops such as onion, melon, cucumber, squash, and corn during the dry season for more profit. • Plant off-season vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, pepper, string beans (sitaw), bitter gourd (ampalaya), sponge gourd (patola), and/or okra during the wet season. 5
• Plant open pollinated vegetable varieties to ensure continuous supply of seeds. Hybrid varieties can also be planted for commerc