01, Less Is More – How PhilRice Can Reduce A Rice Farmer’s Total Expenses By 51%!
I don’t know why, but 60-year old foreign-funded IRRI and 35-year-old PH-funded PhilRice have advocated neither high-value crops (HVCs) after rice nor fertigation, when these technologies are not that new.
Joy Duldulao said: “PhilRice advocates HVCs thru its Palayamanan and FutureRice programs.”
Eufemio Rascoreplied: “PhilRice should not limit itself to advocacy. Advocacy is for those who don’t have the resources. Show by example how the challenge of scaling up can be done in its own farms! Mainstream Palayamanan!”
Roberto Acosta said: “Joy Duldulao, maybe it’s high time to change the success measurement matrix of PhilRice – from increasing rice yield to increasing rice farmers' income and better lives for rice farming families.”
Excellent point, Mr Acosta! Meaning, PhilRice itself has been the one limiting its own vision. I Frank A Hilario say "PhilRice cares" is not good enough!
The best way to increase farmer income? Reduce expenses. Now, in a study by University of Southern Mindanao researchers, MTN Cabasan et al in 2019 reported these rice farming expenses (image above): 27% fertilizers and 24% pesticides[2], for a total of 51% (Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management, Winter 2019, 37-42).
So, how can PhilRice easily increase the rice farmers’ income and better the lives of farming families? Reduce by half total farming expenses!
As an agriculturist, teacher and writer, I will now challenge PhilRice to fund 2 contrasting but comparative rice-growing systems carried out near each other in 2 ha at its headquarters in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, for 2 croppings. Thus:
PhilRice plot of 1 ha – Conventional rice growing
A trusted rice scientist will grow a rice variety of his/her choice. As usual, the soil will be plowed using the disc plow for cultivating the soil. Fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water will be applied.
Frank A Hilario’s plot of 1 ha – Trash mulching
I will grow the same variety of rice in the plot somewhere near the PhilRice field above. I will use the rotavator (above, green image[3] from Wecan Global Philippines) to create a trash mulch all over the field, mixing weeds & crop refuse & soil together to make a rich layer of organic matter that begins to rot immediately. I will irrigate the field.
With my trash mulch, throughout the growing period, there will be zero fertilizers, zero pesticides applied – that will reduce the cost of growing rice by 51%! As the trash mulch decomposes, the soil will become rich and the rice will grow right and healthy. Right at the start, the trash mulch farmer is a winner – reducing cost of inputs by half! (Note: My brother-in-law Enso in my hometown of Asingan, Pangasinan has been using my trash farming technique for 55 years.) Will PhilRice accept my challenge?@517
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