For an agricultural country that was among the first in South East Asia to explore organic farming, most people would assume that by now the Philippines would be a ruler in organic farming. But sadly, this is not the case.
The Philippine agriculture is highly dependent on collectible and ecologically unsound chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Hard by excitement the effects of climate change with increasing intensity during the last six to seven years and most especially during the 2009 Typhoon Ondoy when substantial chunks of the Philippine archipelago was devastated by floods, the Philippine government stepped up the implementation of climate change adaptation measures.
Within the catalogue of climate change adaptation measures, the Philippine government presently zeroed in on organic farming as a vital step.
It was unparalleled last year that the Philippines passed the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, RA 10068, gentle its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and welcome a budget, allocating 2 percent of the Philippine Department of Agriculture ' s funds for organic farming.
Ultimately, despite these most steps towards propagating organic farming practices, indications of not unlike practices supplanting or supine complementing chemical dependent agricultural practices are slow in coming.
On the fresh produce shelves of one of the largest manacles of supermarkets, you will find unbiased two or three brands labeled with claims of being " organically grown " produce. Beyond and frontage of the supermarket, organic produce can only be found in weekend bazaars or in specialty shops scattered around Metro Manila. Few restaurants offer items with organically grown ingredients.
Organic produce, at this stage, is only available to Filipinos with higher than average incomes. This is largely because of the higher price of organically produced foods are sold at but also because of it is not widely available in wet markets.
The Philippine Department of Agriculture under the leadership of Secretary Proceso Alcala has sought to provide solutions to the price and availability of organic produce to a wider market. First by spurring the adoption of organic farming practices with the help of NGOs. Second by funding a the construction of 2, 600 organic fertilizer production plants all over the country.
The second step seems to be the more crucial one.
Without good quality organic fertilizer to enhance the productivity of their farms, organic farming may be a losing proposition for most farmers.
To solve this problem, Alcala recently announced that the Department of Agriculture would be spending P2. 6 Billion pesos in converting 2, 600 existing composting facilities into Japanese - modeled organic fertilizer production plants.
The proposed conversion of existing compost facilities comes with a price tag of P1 million per facility. The proposed organic fertilizer production plants will be equipped drying equipment, carbonizing machine, shredding and mixing machine, grinders and millers, and enhanced transport system through conveyor belts.
Now, just given the characteristics of the proposed organic fertilizer production plant, it is already apparent that the plants are highly - capital intensive and perhaps unnecessarily backward integrated.
Compared to a similar but lower costing and locally available model for organic fertilizer production, the P1 Million per organic fertilizer production will seem like a gargantuan expense.
The Agricultural Inoculant Corporation has been in the business of converting organic waste into fertilizer for a number of years. The efficacy of its microbial rapid composting agent has already undergone pilot testing in 18 sites all over the country and was supervised by the Philippine Department of Agriculture ' s Bureau of Agricultural Research.
In a project study which intends to promote the adoption of organic fertilizer production among Filipino farmers, the AIC presented a system to produce low cost organic fertilizer.
The project study assumes that the main implementor of the organic waste to organic fertilizer conversion would be farmer - entrepreneurs who have limited financial capital to invest in organic fertilizer production.
The total cost of the project is estimated at P40, 000 pesos or about $1, 000. Other equipment needed for drying, chopping, composting, and storage can be sourced from what is already available in the farm. Additional inputs such as carbonized rice hulls and chicken manure can also be sourced at a lower cost. If done within the farm premises, the cost of transporting materials will be negligible.
In comparison to the Department of Agriculture ' s organic fertilizer production plants, the AIC system for producing organic fertilizer also has the advantage of a direct transfer of technology and emphasizes self - sufficiency among Filipino farmers. As far as ingraining the organic farming practices is concerned, the AIC system provides the farmer, not only a way to reduce the cost of his inputs but also provides him with an additional source of income.
With a total cost of just P40, 000 or about $1, 000 dollars, the AIC system can enable a Filipino farmer to produce as much as 2, 250 bags of organic fertilizer within an 8 month period - - typically the length of the planting season cycles of most Filipino farms. AIC estimates the cost of production per bag at P100. 00 and projects that each back can be sold at a retail price of P250. 00 per bag. At 2, 250 bags, the farmer can realize a gross revenue of P562, 500 and a profit of P337, 500.
Compared to the Department of Agriculture ' s model which basically just ensures that farmers will continue to be buyers of farm inputs, the AIC system allows them to supplement their own fertilizer needs as well as realize income off - season from the sale of organic fertilizer.
