SYNERGIZING CAPACITIES AND MOBILIZING RESOURCES FOR SEAWEED FARMING GOOD PRACTICES AND LESSONS LEARNED IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF TAYTAY, PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES
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PROJECT BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
Seaweeds ready to tie in the mainline
Palawan is the largest province in the Philippines consisting of 1,768 islets. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) credits Palawan as the number one seaweed producer within the MIMAROPA Region; it also considered it as the third largest seaweed producer in the Philippines. The province provides a suitable environment for seaweed production because it is strategically located in a relatively typhoon- free area having wide reef areas, extended marine coastlines and wide coastal shelves. Hence, the large coastal waters in Palawan provide good habitats for marine and aquatic life forms.
Most of the seaweed produced are dried and are transported to either Manila or Cebu where the majority of the processing companies are located. Some seaweed farmers and buyers from the northern municipalities of Palawan indicate that they also trade directly with processors. They trade most with the Shemberg Marketing Corporation, which is considered as the largest player in the seaweed industry in the country today. The municipality of Taytay has been identified as an expansion area for the development of the seaweeds industry in Palawan. In 2013 the Department of Soc ial Welfare and Development Sustainable Livelihood Program and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Fisheries Training Center conducted training on Seaweeds Farming intended for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program partner beneficiaries. As an offshoot of the training a seaweed farmers established the Taytay Palawan Seaweed Farmers Federation which proposed a seaweed- farming project in the four barangay in the municipality of Taytay. These are Barangays Bantulan, Calawag, Pamantolon and Pularaquen, these barangays are selected due to the following criteria: (1) suitability of the natural environment to seaweed farming, (2) proximity of the areas to traders, and (3) presence of seaweed farmers who have the training and experience in seaweed farming. In 2013, Taytay Palawan Seaweed Farmers Federation had 120 members; all are Pantawid beneficiaries and were engaged in seaweed farming. They were able to produce 10,000 kg of dried seaweeds utilizing around 1.75 ha with an equivalent amount of PhP 110,000.00. During the last quarter of 2014, production stopped due to damaged caused by typhoon Queenie but the federation were able to managed the destruction and started to re-established their farm through the assistance of the Local Government Unit of Taytay, DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program and the Coral Triangle Initiative, a ADB funded project in the municipality.
As of this year 2015, there is a promising return on the seaweeds project because of price escalation from PhP48.00 for dried seaweeds to about PhP80-100 pesos per kilo. Meanwhile, fresh seaweeds have also increased in price from PhP10.00 to PhP30.00. During the first quarter of this year, production of seaweeds along the four (4) barangays totalled 53,575 kg and 10,650 kg for dried and fresh seaweeds, respectively. Currently, there are 737 member of the federation engaged in seaweeds farming due to the promising market for seaweeds. GOOD PRACTICES ACHIEVED BY THE PROJECT Institutional
Farmers preparing seaweeds propagules for tying
There is constant support from the partner agencies, such as the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program which provides Cash for Building Livelihood Assets to the member of the federation. The Local Government Unit of Taytay, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Coral Triangle Initiative personnel conduct regular visit to the seaweed farmers and constantly provide them with the needed technical assistance, materials and supplies. The members of the federation are willing to learn, and also desires to have improvement in their living conditions. Overall, they have participated actively in project-related activities.
Technical/Technological Line agencies, such as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program and the Coral Triangle Initiative have complementary programs and projects that address the same thrust for seaweed farming development.
The seaweed farmers who are also members of the Federation have continued to innovate and/or experiment with more effective methods of planting seaweeds. One of the methods the planters adopted which they claimed to be the cheapest and suitable within the area is the modified “monoline method”, or the “single line method”. This involves the process of tying a 120 mm nylon rope on both ends of the mangrove stakes (tulos). The set up is about 1 m in height erected on the seabed and placed in accordance with the flow of water or sea waves. Later, based on their actual experiences in the field of seaweed farming, they made another innovation called vertical monoline method locally known as “patawpataw” system. The planters discovered that the vertical monoline method (patawpataw system) was very flexible to go with the waves and current direction without breaking the thallus of the seaweed. Big waves cannot cause destruction to the plantation at any time of the month. Using this method, production is tripled compared to the Longline method of seaweed farming. The seaweed farmers increase their crop yield per hectare. Economic The value of saving is gradually becoming a pattern of living for the seaweed farmers. They are now beginning to save portions of their income from selling their produce. Since they also maintaining a group seaweed farms the profit sharing also contributed much to their present income. The term of sharing is 70-25-5, 70% of the net income were equally divided to members, 25% goes to the association as operational fund and 5% for the federation. Social Federation members realize the value of smooth inter-personal relationships. They are now keener to working more cooperatively. Self- confidence has been strengthened among the members due to technical assistance provided by partner agencies. Member of the federation, who were either shy or timid before, are now able to talk and to express more freely their sentiments and concerns. Volunteerism is also being cultivated to protect the products of seaweed farmers. Majority are willing to become seaweeds „police‟ to keep watch of their crops night and day. Ecological
There is growing awareness and appreciation among the members about the relationship of environmental protection and seaweeds production. They actively participated in the mangrove rehabilitation project initiated by the Coral Triangle Initiative, DSWD-SLP and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. CHALLENGES There is a need to expand the area of seaweed farms to be able to optimize production. Such area expansion may provide more alternative and/or supplemental means of livelihoods for subsistence fishers and other coastal communities in the municipality. This will entail increasing the area for farming. Other pilot sites will have to be identified in other barnagays and other feasible areas in the municipality. There is a need to set up a microfinance mechanism to grant financial loans to seaweed farming communities. As inferred from the past consultations with seaweed farmers, the seaweed farmers remain committed to actively participate in seaweed culture despite this concern. They have been constrained by very limited or lack of sustenance income or allowances to support their families from the seaweed farming/cropping to harvest periods. Such microfinance mechanism would address the problem regarding their daily subsistence during the cropping period. Other sustainable financing mechanisms need also to be explored. There is a need to strengthen the seaweed seedling bank or nursery in Taytay due to the very limited amount of seaweed seedlings available in the vicinity. This can also address the issue on what farmers can profitably do during lean or slack seasons. This is in addition to addressing the concern on the accessibility of seedling supplies to be used in farming. There is a need to establish the appropriate infrastructure facilities to support post harvest activities. One is to set up dryers to control moisture content. Another one is the construction of warehouses. Third, is the possibility of establishing pilot seaweed processing plant in the municipality in the future. There is a need to provide marketing support to seaweed federation regarding the trading of seaweeds harvested, dried and processed. LESSONS LEARNED
According to the seaweed farmers in Taytay, they observed better growth of seaweeds during rainy season due to better water movement and lower sea temperature that is favorable for the seaweed‟s growth. The seaweed farmers had come up with innovative techniques to improve the technology they learned from trainings and actual experiences in the field of seaweed farming. Actual learning emanates from what they observed everyday in their seaweed farming. According to them, the floating vertical method is the safer technique applicable to all seasons of the year and even with a lesser plantation area, the farmer can obtain a large volume of production.
Tender love and care (TLC) is the best tool to successful seaweed farming production technique. Good drying facilities contribute to quality production. Meeting the target volume of dried seaweed production results to a stable market price. During lean season, farmers experience problems on seed stocks, thus, a seaweed nursery would decrease the scarcity of supply of planting materials. The members of the federation are slowly learning to perform their duties and obligations as members of the organization. Majority of them now pay the amount that the federation should receive every time they sell their harvested seaweeds. The financial management system remains a challenge, as its financial and other organizational records are not in order.
POTENTIAL FOR REPLICATION Seaweed farming is one of the promising livelihood options that is environmentally sustainable and with a product that has global demand. Given the appropriate logistical and institutional support, seaweed farming may become a profitable enterprise in the municipality of Taytay. Therefore, it has a relatively high potential for replication.