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Migrants’ initiative transforms community through technology and tri-people empowerment
Cropping I Report
RICE CONTRACT FARMING SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION February - July 2011
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Table of Contents Rationale............................................................................................................................. 3 Agronomic Experiments ..................................................................................................... 4 Results.................................................................................................................................. 6 Challenges........................................................................................................................ 12 Recommendations & Discussion ..................................................................................... 14 Financial Overview ........................................................................................................... 18 Reflection .......................................................................................................................... 18
Project Summary Title
Duration Capital Status Area Target beneficiaries Management
Objectives
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY: RICE CONTRACT FARMING- SRI February 2011- June 2011 Php 260,000 Finished Kanipaan, Palimbang SultanKudarat 5 farmers and their families Data gathering/ Monitoring Finance Manager Administrative officer Bookeeper Farm Manager Technician Farm Manager Assistant Cashier and Secretary to technicians People, Profit, Planet: PEOPLE Develop and implement a land redemption scheme to return lands back to original owners: Release farmer families from the degradation of debt Give families the temporary security of an income while learning to apply SRI entirely Give families the opportunity to learn to apply SRI as discipline and as business Challenge farmers to move from dependent practitioner to independent entrepreneur.
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Mary Dawn C. Mantala Marilyn N. Ty Jofellini Shane Pulmano Carol Santiago Nolhari Mulod Bra Lumangka Mercy Hermosura
Take-over family mortgages
Give participating household members salaries Implement work standards and involve employees in all decisions as possible and teach scheduling, work patterns, company values and expectations.
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3 Challenge youth to farm: Give local youth opportunities to train and manage SRI production and connected organic farming. Contribute to food security. Channel migrant and OFWs to invest in environmentally sustainable food production. PROFIT To make a step towards a viable rice company. To earn more than PHP 83,300 per hectare to be able to return the investment (calculation of direct and indirect costs) Reach higher harvest quantities and profit level while maintaining environmental sustainability. PLANET To contribute in climate change mitigation by practicing low chemical and water input farming.
Hire youth.
Experiment to find ways to increase production. Document each step so benefits and opportunities are ready to pitch to migrant families. Keeping sound financial management. Keeping costs low
Study and experiment in production methods. Practice intermittent irrigation (using less water) Use less nitrogen fertilizer (urea). Minimal use of chemical pesticides.
Rationale The root causes of poverty in many rural areas like Palimbang lies in the crippling cycle of debt in its culture beyond the armed conflict. Debt is incurred where land is used as collateral upon borrowing a certain amount of cash from local traders or moneyed landlords. While there is no interest in this customary practice – locally known as ‘sangla’- farmer households are obligated to till the land for the landlord and every failed cropping spells disaster for the farmer household as all incurred debts will be cumulatively added to the principal sum. A farmer family can only take back their land upon paying the total amount of the mortgage. In most cases, families cease to have the right to exploit their own land for their own families and is reduced to the status of the tenant. There is no known story of a family able to redeem their land. Helping farmers increase their production in a sustainable way is one thing, but not enough to release from perpetual debt. As PASALI saw the need of debt liberalisation, it developed the Rice Contract Farm with land redemption and business intertwined. Rice Contract Farm- Cropping 1
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Liberation: Land Redemption through System of Rice Intensification Contract Farming PASALI’s definition of land redemption entails not only the return of the land to the original family owners, but also the change of the farmer household from their dependent position to the position of skilled agri-entrepreneur. The Rice Contract Farm creates the environment through which the farmer household undergoes this process.1 In the first stage PASALI pays their mortgages and hires them to till their own lands according to SRI principles under the supervision of PASALI farm technicians. PASALI handles the entire production, the processing/milling and marketing the rice produce per harvest. It is contract farming because PASALI acts as an agricultural contractor who specifies produce and production. However, unlike the conventional contract farming system, farmers are paid employees rather than being paid for harvest. Expected one year after, the production of SRI is given to the farmer family and the following division of income is applied: 50% of hectare’s annual income goes to their land redemption (which PASALI receives as part of its ROI and re-used for new land redemption cases), 35% goes to the family as personal income, 10% serves as farmer family’s contribution to the “Investment for the Future” and is added on to the fund for new land redemption cases, and 5% serves as compulsory savings.
Agronomic Experiments SRI’s main standpoint is root care. Minimal spacing of 25 by 25 centimers, early transplanting, dry field, 1 seedling per hill and regular weeding to aerate the soil, are all principles of SRI aimed towards root growth. For, the larger and denser the roots, the more tillers it produces, the longer the panicles, and larger and heavier the grains are, the stronger the resistant to disease, and the higher the yield. For our practice we maintained these base principles and experimented on the following variables: Direct versus transplanted A. We looked at the RCF’s yield versus the average SRI yield of Palimbang. B. We looked at the yield of transplanted versus direct planting: 1. Direct planting called “Sabog” with an inbred 96-day maturity variety (RC-120) 2. Transplant with an inbred 110-day maturity variety (RC-140) Transplant with an inbred 113-day maturity variety (RC-158) Transplant with an inbred 107-day maturity variety (RC-160) 3. Transplant with a native 75-day maturity variety(PBR-88)
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5 All transplant is at 9 – 20 days-old seedlings, with seedling per hill C. We looked at the number of tillers according to date transplanted versus direct planting. Tillers are important indicator of harvest volume. Since we were hit by a multiple pest outbreak this cropping we cannot base conclusions only on the number of sacks/kilos (as it may be too little). D. We looked at the yield of 96 varieties in comparison with each other, and versus 75day native variety. Weeding We looked at the number of tillers per plant with single weeding versus criss-cross weeding. Spacing We looked at the number of tillers in fields with the 20x20 cm versus 25 x 25 cm spacing. Footprint: water, fertilizer, pesticides We also measured our use of water, fertilizers and pesticides: - Intermittent flooding: at land preparation, before transplant, every 7 days 5 cm water - Soil fertilization: organic fertilizer guano and commercial urea - Pest control: organic, minimal use of chemicals Table 1 shows the allocation of these experiments in the 5.5 hectare land selected for the pilot. Seeds are planted in a nursery, and directly transplanted to the field between 8 – 15 days. We have 8 day, 13 and 14 day transplants.
Rent
Family
Size sqm
Experiment
Seed Variety
Pasaporte /Hermosura
3, 492
Transplant
PBR–88
9,036.75
Direct
RC-120
7,904.40
Direct
RC-120
2,266
Transplant
PBR-88
7500 2500 10,000
Transplant Transplant Transplant
RC-140 RC-160 RC-160
10, 000 2, 790 2, 790
Transplant Transplant Transplant
RC-158 RC 158 RC-160
Hutalla
Table 2. Planting experiments per area
Mortgage
Mulod Lumangka( lower) upper Aman
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Results Table 3: Harvest results
RCF Area/ Farmer
Palimbang average SRI Pasaporte Hutalla Mulod Lumangkalower Lumangkaupper Aman
Gross harvest (wet) Sacks
Kilos
59.5 46.5 78.75 60
2975 2325
Net harvest (dry) Sacks
Average harvest SRI Palimbang per hectare Sacks 90-130
Kilos 4500-6500
21 16.25 62.75 52.5
61.75
40
36.25
30
Wet harvest is the harvest direct from the threshing machine on the field. Rice is still in husk. Dry harvest is after the rice has gone through the milling process and the husks are removed. The plots of RCF land did not reach the average of SRI in the area for reasons several we will explain in this report: -
-
-
We used higher number of kilos per seed for broadcast plots than the required for SRI and no spacing was used. As a result plant roots would not expand and had to be covered with a thin layer of water to prevent weeds. Our soil test after the harvest showed that the land has potassium deficiency which we did not address (since we did not know). The lack of potassium leads to poor flower development (small panicles, limited grain formation), low plant resistance to pest and climate and poor harvest. All of which we experienced. The soil test also shows the land has high nitrogen content which we suspect is responsible for attracting certain bugs and the rice blast. The soil test finally shows we also had too much phosphorus, the excess of which leads to little plant growth and even planting shrinking. We had numerous pest attacks which did not end after spraying chemical pesticides. The heavy downpour of rain throughout the season washed out any effect of pesticides and accounts for high humidity which in turn caused the rice blast and bacterial leaf infection.
See results Soil test and list of Recommendations.
Direct versus transplanted
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Kilos
A. RCF yield versus average SRI yield in Palimbang The total harvest (wet) in kilos is visible in graph 1. The average harvest per hectare of SRI in Palimbang is 4 - 4.5 tons (80-90 sacks) and the past cropping SRI farmers in the area have recorded 5.5 – 6.5 tons (110-130 sacks). Unfortunately due to challenges we will further explain below, the maximum harvest for a hectare of RCF was 3.937 tons (79 sacks), while the lowest harvest was 2.32 tons (46.5 sacks). 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
3187.5 1987.5
3000 3087.5
2325
987.5
750
800
1012.5
Transplanted Direct Planted
Area & Variety Graph 1. Harvest in kilos
B. 1-3 Direct versus transplant Since every plot has different land area, we can compare the yield by multiplying the harvest in less than one hectare plots to one hectare harvest and by computing harvest in more than one hectare to only a hectare harvest. First, we calculate the percentage of a plot’s land area to the whole area. For example, Pasaporte’s plot for PBR 88 (3, 492 sqm) is only a 28% to the whole land area which is 12, 528.75 sqm. Since Pasaporte’s land exceeds a hectare( about 125 %), we get only the 100% land area’s harvest. We divided the PBR 88 yield which is19.75 sacks by 28%, then, multiply to 100 times (for one hectare only). Thus, if the area is maximized to a hectare, it can yield up to 70.54 sacks. The graph shows that if every rice variety is planted in a hectare, the transplanted RC140 in Mulod’s area yields the highest. The lowest is Hutalla’s RC120 in direct planting. Generally, transplant areas yields more than direct planting. However, it is necessary to conduct another test of comparison for with the direct planting some SRI principles were not applied.
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Max Harvest ( if 1 hectare) Actual Harvest
Area & Variety
Actual yield vs. Max yield
Aman- RC 160 Aman- RC 158 Lumangka- RC 158 Lumangka- RC 160 Mulod- RC 160 Mulod-RC 140 Hutalla- PBR 88 Hutalla- RC 120 Pasaporte-RC 120 Pasaporte- PBR 88
81
20.25 16
64 61.75 61.75 60 60 60 63.75
15
46.5
46.5
55.21
39.75
70.54
19.75 0
20
85
40
60
80
100
No. of sacks Graph 2. Actual yield (what we harvested) versus Maximum yield (if each plot reached 1 hectare). See table 1 for land sizes.
C. Tillers transplant versus direct RC-120 on Hutalla’s land had the most tillers in any given time (39), however since the area was densely planted – we used far more seed than required and did not apply spacing – it could be said that the tillers counted were from multiple plants and not one. The next to have the most tillers (34) is PBR-88 also on Hutalla’s land which was transplanted with spacing of 25x25cm. Therefore it could be argued that the planting mode with the most tillers is the transplant. For next cropping we devised a new form of direct planting, still broadcasted but this time we will maintain the SRI spacing. 45 39
40
34
35 30 25
24 16 13
12
1415 15
15
9
10 5
23
23 20
20 15
23
1
14
11 11
Age sowed/transplanted( days old) No. of tillers
1
0
Graph 3: Seedling age and mode of planting
D. Inbred transplant versus native transplant The lowest yield transplanted was RC160 on Lumanka’s land and the highest yield of transplant was RC140 on Mulod’s land. The native 75-day transplant (PBR-88) had the third highest yield. And the land with PBR-88 had water drainage problems in the beginning and all lands had a potassium deficiency as we learned after a soil test,
9 thus, we would need another test. But the inbreds manifested less disease resistance compared to the native variety and other natives varieties we know of have recorded higher yields in the past. In the next cropping we will plant native varieties on the disease-prone areas and only a select number of inbreds to minimize pest. Weeding: Single versus Crisscross weeding Supposedly, weeding is done regularly every 7 days but from the vegetative stage (after it starts tillering) to booting (grain formation), we switched to manual weeding because during this period any disturbance to roots and plant might negatively affect its growth. According to SRI literature, the more the soil is weeded, the higher the number of tillers should be. Surprisingly, the most frequently weeded plot (see graph 3, Lumangka’s area for RC 160) has the lowest tiller count, while the plot in his area that was weeded for only 3 times (due to plant density and lack of spacing) produced more tillers than the more frequently weeded ones. Hutalla’s RC120 produced the most tillers after weeding three times, but as mentioned before, this may be due to counting tillers of multiple plants. While RC-160 maybe not have produced many tillers, we harvested more from these plots compared to other plots. We have several thoughts on this:
frequency of weeding/ No. of tilllers
1. The variety doesn’t produce many tillers. 2. The other varieties were hit by pest and rats therefore little harvest was left. 3. Multiple weeding is still key but the care, adjustment to soil conditions, and the variety still affect the tillering. 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0
39 34 24
23 16
23 Single
15 11
9 3
4
4
3
3
5
3
2
2
Crisscross tillers
Type of weeding/ Area/ Variety Graph 3
Note: Tillers were counted on or day/days before the harvest date.
Transplanting with crisscross weeding produced more tillers in native variety PBR 88. Single weeding produced more tillers in broadcasted RC 120 because plant density is greater in single weeding than in crisscross. However, single weeding brings about more problems than its fuel saving advantage for the weeder. The denser a plot is, the harder it is to control black bugs that lurks on the base of the plant and Bungotbungot weeds. Also, it causes poor airflow and poor sunlight penetration that causes rice blast. Rice Contract Farm- Cropping 1
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Spacing The fields with higher number of tillers are the ones with the 25x25 cm spacing (see graph 4). In Pasaporte’s area where RC 120 was planted in 25x25 distance with crisscross weeding, tiller count is only 12-16 during harvest time. So, much space between plant remained when it is supposed to be used by the plant to expand its tillers. On one hand, broadcasted RC 120 seeds in Hutalla’s farm with single weeding has 39 tillers three days before harvest because a hill contains more seedling than former with crisscross weeding. However, we cannot assume that 25x25 is the ultimate standard. We can only conclude, that in these particular soils with their specific nutrient count and with these varieties, the 25x25 does best.
Spacing vs. tiller No. of sacks/ Tillers
30
27.372
25
21
20
16 12.375
15 10 5 0 25x25 cm
25x 20 cm spacing
Graph 4. Harvest comparison between plots with 25x25 and 25x20 cm spacing
Footprints: Water, Fertilizer, Pesticide SRI intermittent irrigation uses 54% less water than conventional farming 6000 5058.8 4587 4842 5000 4000 2891.76 2400 3000 1500 2000 1059.87 809.1 1000 37.38 242.69 0
Direct Planting Transplant
Graph 6. Water volume in cubic meter
Depending on the type of planting (direct or transplant), every plot is watered and drained every 3 or 7 days. The estimated cubic meters of water are calculated by multiplying the square meter surface of the field with the height in meters (0.02 or 0.05 Rice Contract Farm- Cropping 1
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11 m) of water, assuming one-time water release into the field. After weeding the direct planted plots 2-3 times, the roots and plants had grown so close to each other that weeding would destroy their roots. In order to keep weeds away, we left 1-2 cm water every 3 days to keep the weeds away. Next cropping, we will make sure spacing is maintained whether it is transplanted or broadcasted. A study in Thailand of water use in rice fields shows that intermittent irrigation as we used saves 54% water compared to continous irrigation.2
Kilos
Fertilizer 500 400 300 200 100 0
450 250
225 150
450
450
200
175 100
200
250 100
Guano Urea
Area
Graph 7. Amount of Guano and urea applied (in sacks)
Conventional farming in the Palimbang area uses 1,5x more urea or other commercial sources of nitrogen than the amounts we applied. Other than nitrogen urea has no potassium or phosphorus, which we supplied with PASALI’s own organic guano mix. Graph 7 shows that we applied more guano than urea in quantity. The fields suffered from a surge of leafhoppers and rice blast (the disease in which panicle turns white and dies before the seedling stage). These are indicators of excessive nitrogen use. Nitrogen content of urea is at 47% and at 2,1% for guano. We intend to have another lab test for guano during the next cropping since the previous test was done in 2009 and the content may have changed. After this test, and with calculations of nitrogen usage for conventional, we can project how much less nitrogen we used in RCF compared to conventional farming. For now, studies in SRI show that that SRI uses up to 13-33% less nitrogen than conventional farming. Pesticide 1000 800 600 400 200 0
944 528
512 336
608 190.4
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Chemical Organic (salt sol'n/ freegrow)
Graph 8. Pesticide input in liters. Note: Pesticides are diluted in water.
This cropping, we used multiple chemical pesticides (Lannate, Baylucide, Bushwhack, http://www.rid.go.th/thaicid/_6_activity/Technical-Session/SubTheme2/2.10-Susi_HDewi_AA-Marasi_DJ-Soekrasno.pdf 2
12 Carat, Vindex) for multiple pest. Organic solution was tried though in small amounts only. These solutions offered no resistance against the multiple pest outbreaks we experienced. This is partly due to: -
the lack of monitoring by field workers, by the time we applied pesticides the outbreak was too great. Rain, which put an temporary halt to spraying Apparent resistance of insects to these solutions Infestations from other fields easily enter our fields
We have found several recommendations from other agricultural practices, including using different kinds of pesticides, organic to chemical, from one day to the next. This surprises the pests and keeps them from eating off your produce.
Challenges Pest management The vegetative stage of the plants, showed promising growth but during the booting stage pests like black bug, rice bug, million bug and leafhopper started to build up until it stormed in the ripening stage. We failed to control it while they are small in number and to read and act on signs of infestation like diminishing tiller count and leaf discoloration. Many pesticides were sprayed already in different kinds and combinations but these pests are not killed. In the first two weeks, snails ate up many seedlings which forced us to replant. Before next planting, we will implement organic measures to keep snails from entering and surviving in the fields the first 3 weeks. After that plants are large enough and snails become friends since they eat up weeds. Earlier, during the booting stage, the area for RC 120 ( .675 ha) with 20x25 spacing was attacked by rats. Supposedly, it should yield more harvest because it has bigger land area. We are uncertain about the use of the Trap Barrier System recommended by the International Rice Research Institute since that needs the collective efforts of farmers in the area. Farmers in the area are hestitant if not against trying new things especially if a budget is needed.
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13 On way to keep snails, pests and even rats away is to keep areas clean. However, if our neighbor has bushy dikes and canals where rats, snails propagate, a solo effort won’t have much impact. Keeping the area clean is major community challenge as pest such as bugs and rats transfer from one area to another. In Kanippan, even convincing other farmers for a community rat hunting remains a big challenge. Rainy weather The rainy season had tremendous effect on the production. We discovered simply broadcasting seeds onto a moist field is not feasible since the rain washes away the seeds to the canals. The next time around, we must first mark the fields, leave them to dry a bit before broadcasting in the hills very thinly. Also, one of the reason pesticides did not have much effect on pests because every afternoon, before or after spraying, rain falls that washes it away. Rain also extends harvest dates and delays threshing, as well as stimulate bacterial leaf blight, which was a major issue on two plots. Harvest Problems A hectare takes one day to finish harvesting by 8-10 persons. A group of harvesters we contacted didn’t finish harvesting Palay because some of their members went home ahead, leaving the work to 2 persons. The team approached the team leader for the unfinished work but the farm technician agreed with the harvesters to resume the work the following day. The ungathered freshly harvested Palay was left in the open field overnight. A learning moment for the management is not to leave crucial decisions on farm technicians. There was also a plot that was harvested, gathered and covered with a construction sheet but when a heavy rain fell overnight, rain still penetrated the sheet making the Palay inside wet. The following day, upon opening the sheet, there were million bugs all over the Palay. Next time, we should do the harvesting and threshing on the same day as possible. Harvesters will be briefed of the work rules. We also had problem on the threshing machine. Its blower runs too fast and one of the blade deforms. Sometimes it is stopped to knock it up back to its original position. Lenient Management or people issues Many times, the management instructs the planters in the right way of planting but the planters still don’t follow. The overseeing farm technician also fear to correct them as they might not come back again or hold grudge against us. As a result, there were many standards that was not followed because we did not ruled over our laborers. Next cropping, the management will be strict about uprooting, planting, regular monitoring, harvesting and threshing. Harvest date extension The maturity date of each plot was extended even up to 12 days after the given maturity date. There was no difference in direct or transplant but we cannot make conclusions based on the current practice of direct because it is subject to much change still.
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Table 4: Harvest date extension
Farmer/Area
Experiment
Variety
Pasaporte
Transplant
PBR–88
Direct
RC-120
Direct
RC-120
Transplant
PBR-88
Transplant
RC-140
Transplant
RC-160
12
Transplant
RC-160
12
Transplant
RC-158
Transplant
RC 158
9
Transplant
RC-160
13
Hutalla
Mulod
Lumangka
Aman
No. days Advance harvest
No. of days Late Harvest 9
1 9
5
0
0
We can only observe that maturity could be extended due to various factors that caused stress, such as late transplant (14-15 days), heightened stress with uprooting and perhaps improper planting, pest infestation, and the wrong application of fertilizer (see Recommendations, Soil Test results).
Recommendations & Discussion Soil Test Results & Fertilization We relied primarily on local knowledge of soil conditioning during the first cropping. At the start of the second cropping before the land preparation we had a soil test done. The main results were: 1. most of our soils were potassium deficient Potassium is responsible for height, tillers and multiplication of leaves as well as resistance. This would account for the short plants and minimum tiller count of the previous cropping. 2. most of our soils had too much nitrogen and phosphorus We applied too much N and P. Phosphorus overdose stunts the growth of plants and too much nitrogen attracts certain pests.
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15 Therefore, we will recalculate the soil nutrients for the second cropping. We will not follow the test’s recommendation which is based on conventional rice growing but we will follow the total recommended kilos of NPK, calculating the right amount of the kilos of NPK with a combination of our own guano which is the main source for phosphorus, commercial Urea (46-0-0)and potassium (0-0-60). We sought organic fertilizers but no trader in General Santos or Maitum is selling any at the moment. We will however, make a vermicast box for vermiculture to apply which has some nutrients. The commercial fertilizers annul the work of the organic microorganisms but organic fertilizer still has its own NPK. We will changed the order of application of fertilizers and amount at the same time, according to our knowledge of the effects of NPK. Conventional fertilizer applications Recommend applying the bulk of the nitrogen and the potassium last. But both are needed for the tillering and the root growth as well as plant resistance, so it makes more sense to apply as first application after transplant and ending with the organic guano. Also, conventional fertilization recommends a first and second application which means applying several bags of NPK at the same time. For the second cropping, we decided to have a first, second and third, applying not more than one bag of each nutrient per time with the space of several days in-between. Applying the last of the organic fertilizer last will also minimize somewhat the killing effect of the commercial fertilizers and allow the organic mechanisms to release nutrients gradually, conditioning the soil naturally. Palay Check For the second crop we will intensify the agronomic monitoring to day 3 after seed planting, then day 7, then finally weekly. We also will intensify all team members’ knowledge of the Rice Check method, as each team will be responsible for their own monitoring. The monitoring member of the operational staff will be present as much as possible and collect as soon as possible. This is to counter the events of the previous cropping, that that person assigned for monitoring made many mistakes applying the checking method. Water & Weeds: Land Preparation Palimbang has a high rain rate and is abundant in ground water. We thus had the too much water issue for many plots. We plan to do several things: - maintain the presence of the canal throughout the production cycle - make the canals deeper - intensify monitoring during land preparation to ensure that it is done thoroughly - on the especially water- and weed-prone areas use not only the plainer and leveler but also the tractor to deeply plough the soil. - build mid-field canals - maintain intermittent flooding: flash floods at land preparation, before transplant, every 7 days 5 cm water Also, we observed that RC 140 and RC 160 work better than the other varieties in wet soil, so we will keep those. In our SRI practice we will keep searching and studying which varieties do best in dry and which in wet soil conditions. Rice Contract Farm- Cropping 1
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Seed preparation For the next cropping we will try the so-called dapog system, which is sowing the seeds in a carrier. Our carriers are the opened up sack of meal (the seed is sprinkled over it, and lifted at transplant from the seedbed) and the trunks of banana trees. Planting and Spacing In the direct ‘sabog’ field we sowed too much seed (the conventional 60 rather than 25 of recommended for SRI), this caused the plants to grow too close to each other making weeding impossible. And it broke the SRI principle of 1 seedling per hill since there was no marker. For the next cropping we will apply the transplant system for the majority of the fields to maintain the proper spacing. But on a smaller plot apply a new way of broadcasting: mark the field as you would at a regular transplant, then rather than broadcasting seed at random, sprinkle them thinly over the place where the lines meet (and where at transplant you would plant one seedling). Once the seedlings sprout, thin them out leaving only the seedling closest to the middle. The marked field will keep the seeds from spreadings across the field like it did the first cropping. Planting the seeds at the cross sections should theoretically ‘lock’ the seed. If it rains and the lines overflow then the seed should hopefully only be dislodged within in the lines. Weeding The next cropping we will attempt to intensify the weeding. Varieties and tillers We will plant the native PBR-88 again and add to this the native Texas variety. We will also use a mixed selection of seeds, and keep only RC 140 and RC 160 since we noticed they have shown signs of promise in adapting to wet soil conditions. Pest Control The next crop we will use preventive pest control methods, organic and native methods, an experiment with coconut sweat as pest spray as well as the element of surprise. Preventive methods: - plant another native variety since natives with SRI are known to be higher in pest resistance - higher the dike and keep the dike clean to minimize snail and insect movement - sprinkle rice hulls to immobilize the snails in the first weeks after transplant when seedling are prone to snail infestation - plant bright colored flowers and plants known to be insect repellants like some vegetables, lemongrass, etc. - clean dikes and herbicide not the field but the dikes to keep them clean of insects that might transfer to the field on a later stage - adjust our fertilizer to lower the attraction of pests
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17 - make a weekly batch of mild herb tea to spray over the field, as studies show the neem juice and oil are effective pest control method. The idea is that every week a different plant is used to make tea: neem tree leaves, ginger, pepper, madre de cacao leaves, and the fermented juice. Spraying a mild concoction on a weekly basis, we hope, will discourage pests to enter the field. - As a means against rats, we will attempt to sprinkle goat manure over the field, as traditional notions say rats dislike the scent. We found that surprise could disarray pest and thus we will use different kinds of base for spray rather than just one: - coconut sweat (currently being developed and experimented on by PASALI) - neem oil - goat manure - chemical-based pesticides Challenged youth to farm The pilot gave regular jobs to six youth 15 – 25 years old who previously had none and approximately eight more as freelance labourers. Should this business venture increase, then both the jobless educated and out-of-school youth (especially those from the families who own the land) will be recruited for RCF operations. Their situation is learn-on-the-job and the possibilities are equal for them as it is for their seniors. Giving youth key roles in the production of the business opens up opportunities that were previously non-existent. Some of the youth contribute to family expenses, while others have become self-reliant, paying their own meals and making plans for their own housing. This is the bare essence of self-determination: seizing opportunities for selfsustenance and personal growth. By the time the venture expands, these youth will be the technicians in the new teams. This means the youth directly contribute to local economy with their income and to the circulation of knowledge for future generations.
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Financial Overview Table 4: Expenses versus Net Sales
Expenses Direct expenses: farm inputs Indirect expenses: Personnel allowance Medical Assistance, Bonus Admin Cost Total expenses:
Net Sales 185, 539.50 Php. 145, 621.60 75, 000 3, 850 25, 106.50 Php 260,000
Last cropping, the net sales is only 56% of the total expenses (direct and indirect cost only). The break- even point for each area is 98 sacks (for direct and indirect cost only) but our highest was about 80 sacks, so we did not make break-even. For the second cropping, the focus is to cut down costs, save, and find ways to earn more. Table 5: Budget 2nd Cropping 2011
Direct expenses: Farm inputs Indirect expenses: Personnel allowance Admin Cost Contingency 10% Total expenses:
2nd Cropping Budget 99, 720.00 78,000 8,000 18, 572 206, 292
Reflection Our experience with the first cropping shows that in Palimbang we have much more to learn in adapting SRI to the local conditions. SRI literature worldwide has had tremendous success in dry areas but in wet areas such as Palimbang where it rains heavily regardless of the season, optimal SRI is yet to be discovered. Knowledge and adaptation of SRI through trial and experiment is one factor to success. The other is managing people. In our initial goal setting, we stated that we will take the farmer through a process in which they learn to apply SRI in a higher level and learn to manage a business so that they might become their own agri-preneurs. In Palimbang there is a very strong ‘laisse faire’ attitude, or the fatalistic attitude of ‘we will lose money anyways so why bother’, which halts motivation to apply and study SRI. This attitude and the consequent lack of monitoring and work on the fields is one of main causes of our 56% loss and is the main challenge to reaching our goal of seeing the farmers completely independent. But everyone has their carrot. The challenge is to find that what the households really want, connect that with operations. Next year (that is after next cropping) the finance flows will change to: of the net income 50% goes to the farmer’s pay-back for land redemption, 35% goes to their monthly income, 10% goes to the land redemption fund, and 5% is the farmer’s forced saving. The Rice Contract Farm isn’t a project. We must make profit to survive. But to survive doesn’t only mean economic sustainability but also the portal for the farmers to regain the land that is theirs and keep it. Rice Contract Farm- Cropping 1
January- July 2011