VEGETABLES FARMING (6): MIXED CROP AND ORGANIC FARMING METHODS

We would like to end this series with a concluding article on the organic and integrated approaches to vegetable farming. With people's growing awareness on the benefits of organic and pesticide free food, there is opportunity in farming organic vegetables and crops. There is also the trend for integrated farming where any given farm is planted to varied species and even the integration of animals into the system both as income addition and as source of another valuable resource: manure which is used as fertilizers.

Just recently, a semester-long training on organic vegetable farming was conducted in Leon by the Iloilo Provincial Agriculture Office in cooperation with the SM Foundation, Harbest Agribusiness, Department of Agriculture RFU 6 and several other agencies and institutions. It aimed to transfer organic farming technologies to farmer-trainees. It was a hands-on training that enabled them to learn first hand the various technologies related to organic vegetable farming. At the end of the course, the trainees were also able to harvest their first crop of organic lettuce some of which also ended up sold in Iloilo City where consumers gladly grabbed at these safe and healthier vegetables.

Decidedly, organic farming would offer countless benefits compared to conventional farming. When we say conventional farming, we mean that this is the type where chemicals are widely used, from soil preparation such as disinfection to chemical sprays on the vegetables to kill or control insect pests. In cases where the vegetables had been infected with diseases, fungicides which are also toxic to humans are also sprayed just to arrest the spread of the fungus in the various parts of the plants.

While the common perception is that organic farming methods revolve around the use of organic fertilizers, the more complex and complete approach is that the whole farming system is revolutionized or re-engineered. Starting with a farm plan where the farmer modifies and improves his system so that he stops or minimizes his reliance on chemicals and external inputs, he also executes a farm calendar where his varied vegetable species and strains are planted by schedule and at a specific location within the farm. Thus, he not only introduces symbiosis and crop complementing to minimize on costs for maintenance and control of pests and diseases, but he also implements crop succession so that he earns regularly from his farm.

A common system in organic and mixed vegetable crop farming is the simultaneous planting of legumes and non-legumes. For example, some farmers lay out permanent rows of malunggay and in between, he alternates the planting of crucifers (cabbage family including lettuce) and bushy legumes like sitao, cowpea, munggo, etc. The malunggay, being a legume provides nitrogen in the soil and it also serves as trellis for viny crops like pole sitao, patani, squash and amargoso.

A mixed system is several times more productive than a single crop system. Another advantage of a mixed crop is that the many kinds of vegetables planted enables the farmer to earn regularly and fast. For example, a 1,000 sq meter vegetable farm of mixed vegetables using organic farming culture would have daily, weekly and monthly income streams, if the mix of crops include balunggay, tagabang, kangkong, camote leaves, alugbati, lettuce, winged beans, squash, etc. Daily income would come from balunggay, camote, tagabang, alugbati and kangkong. Periodic income would come from lettuce, winged beans, squash and other fruiting vegetables. And it the farmer incorporates fruit trees like langka and otehrs, then he has a source of income for the long term.

The rule of thumb for integrated farming is to plant as many types in an area. The farmer should plan what types to plant for the short, medium and long terms so that by the time the long term crops are productive, he would already take it easy and retire on the fruits of these long term crops. For those interested to learn more, please visit my blogsite: http://larry-simplybusiness.blogspot.com.