I Frank A Hilario am a full-blooded Ilocano. My grandfather Graciano has roots in Rosario, La Union. Today, I want to talk about how we can convince millions of Filipino farmers to adopt organic farming using the approach I call baknang a daga, Ilocano for a rich soil. No fertilizers.
The mage above shows a plant growing luxuriously because of the soil enriched by rotting matter surrounding it – this is the essence of organic agriculture that I know. The crop refuse and weeds die and give life to the soil; the soil gives life to the crop.
My credentials? In 1968, having studied the ideas of American Edward H Faulkner in his 2 books, Plowman's Folly (1943) and Soil Development (1952), with my degree of BS in Agriculture major in Ag Education from the University of the Philippines' College of Agriculture, UPCA, I taught Horticulture at the College of Agriculture of Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro City in Mindanao. In my 4 syllabuses, I wrote in the principles of organic farming: Floriculture (flowers), Olericulture (vegetables), Ornamental Horticulture (ornamental plants), and Pomology (fruit trees). One of my A students was Nicanor "Nicky" Perlas, who went on and graduated from my organic ideas to biodynamic farming and won in 2003 the so-called Alternative Nobel, the Right Livelihood Award, which is based in Stockholm, Sweden. Current slogan: "We honor and support courageous people solving global problems[1]."
First, I am thinking of a nationwide demo for baknang a daga, 20 farms in Luzon, 10 in the Visayas, and 5 in Mindanao. Second, I am looking at the billion-peso Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, RCEF, as source of budget for the demo, for seeds and equipment: hand tractor, trailer, transplanter, combine harvester, and bubble dryer. Third, I am looking at 35 of the State Colleges & Universities, SCUs, to be partners in this demo. I will personally visit the SCUs willing partners in the demo. With funds from the RCEF, we will hire Research Assistants to keep track of progress for 2 cropping seasons.
To build the richness of the soil, essentially, the first farm operation will be like this:
I will instruct the driver of the hand tractor to set the depth of plowing to only 2-3 inches on the top of the field, not deeper. This way, only the soil and the weeds plus any crop refuse will be cut to pieces and mixed together in the same rotary motion. All over the field, the mix of vegetation and soil will form a continuous layer of mulch – the beginning of the rich organic surface soil.
Writing in The Conversation, David R Montgomery says, "I now see adopting farming practices that build soil health as the key to a stable and resilient agriculture[2]."
The husband of my cousin Aida, Lorenzo "Inso" Casasus, will testify to that. He has been doing baknang a daga in the last 50 years!
Did you notice that baknang a daga has the acronym bad? This bad is good!@517
[1]https://www.rightlivelihoodaward.org
[2]https://theconversation.com/healthy-soil-is-the-real-key-to-feeding-the-world-75364?utm_medium=amptwitter&utm_source=twitter&fbclid=IwAR20LqHRkkPy4vDcoN9IWJrb33Q1RpsJiJtma9l6dsrdQRFCxGLg7srg-ec
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