The joint project of the Department of Agriculture-Palawan Research and Extension Station (DA-PRES) and Philippine Coconut Agency (PCA) is looking at three potential technology demonstration farms in Palawan for diversified farming of coconut farms with intercropping and livestock integration that will help food security and increase the income of farmers.
PCA Palawan Arlo Solano, PCA Palawan Acting Division Chief, said Monday that the prospected farms are barangay Magbabadil in Aborlan, Brgy. Malatgao in Narra, and Brgy. Pangobilian in Brooke’s Point.
Each demo farm will have a one-hectare size for sweet potato plantation and free-range native chicken through the technology of the agriculture department. The implementation of the project will run until December.
“Kapag naging successful, saka siya iri-replicate, i-expand within the organization, members and coconut farmers organization. One-hectare talaga muna ang i-establish for demonstration then iri-replicate na lang kapag naging successful ang implementation nito, hindi talaga siya naka-program na malakihan, he said.
Solano said that the funding of the project came from the DA as the main implementor, where planting materials and other agricultural inputs will be provided. While the PCA will provide technical assistance and fertilizers for the coconut farm.
He said that farm diversification could help to increase an additional 25 percent of farmers’ income aside from copra. PCA also pushes the value-adding through processing agricultural products to help farmers compete in the market, he added.
“Ang problema lang lagi, nandiyan ang technology, nandiyan ang adaption ng coconut farmers, nagkakatalo na lang sa merkado ba. Kapag nag-produce ka na, ‘yong production medyo ang presyo parang hindi. Kumbaga ang gastos versus kita kaya diyan mismo ang ibang farmers ay tumitigil,” he said.
The coconut farmers in demo farms will share the technology and their knowledge about including the agricultural inputs to two members of the organization to attain the objective of food security and increase income.