More than thirty enrollees of the farm school Sweet Nature Farms at Santa Maria, Laguna, learn efficient nutrient management techniques as they participated in the first technical briefing activity of Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) Los Baños on Abonong Swak: Swak sa Badyet, Swak sa Palay on June 21, 2022.
The Abonong Swak campaign promotes strategic nutrient management practices to achieve balanced fertilization, which could help farmers lower their farming expenses. The campaign features combos to cater to the budget of farmers vis-a-vis their target yield through the mixed use of organic and inorganic fertilizers.
Nutrient Management Expert Wilfredo Collado discussed the benefits of combining organic fertilizer with inorganic fertilizer.
“Rice straws, once decomposed, are an excellent nitrogen source beneficial to the soil. The use of rice straw as fertilizer could help farmers purchase fewer bags of urea,” he said.
Collado further discussed strategies that could help improve the nutrient management practices of farmers, including the three (3) fertilizer recommendations or “combos” they can choose from based on their target yield and available budget.
“Farmers targeting a yield of 5 tons normally use eight bags of fertilizer. But based on our computations, they can use 4.5 bags, which could help them save up to P4,000/ha.”
Furthermore, Collado recommended using agri-decision support tools such as Minus-One Element Technique (MOET) kits, soil testing kits, and leaf color charts to avoid applying fertilizers sparingly or excessively.
In response to the activity, Farm School Director Suzette Sales expressed her appreciation for the campaign “Abonong Swak!”
“We are very thankful for opportunities like this that allow us to learn and improve the skills of farmer-trainees. We are committed to make a difference in the agriculture sector of our country,” Sales said.
The technical briefing activity was also participated by Agricultural Training Institute IV-A and DA-Regional Field Office 4A.
The RCEF-Extension Program is a component of Republic Act 11203 or Rice Tariffication Law, which allots P10 billion fund every year for rice farmers. The program is being implemented by DA-PhilRice, Department of Agriculture-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (DA-PHilMech), Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in partnership with local government units and other intermediaries. (DA-PhilRice Los Baños, FB)
