West Visayas Farmers Train On Corn
Production In Sloping Areas
To address top soil erosion among mountains planted of
corn in Northern Iloilo and Central Capiz, the Department of Agriculture 6
together with the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) conducted a
briefing among 200 corn farmers on Sustainable Corn Production In Sloping Areas
(SCoPSA).
The briefing was conducted at barangay Agdahon,
Cuartero, Capiz and Batad, Iloilo where corn farmers usually use herbicide to
control weeds before planting corn in the sloping mountains.
According to Sonia M. Salguero, BSWM Assistant
Director, the proper way of establishing contour lines is across the slope, not
along the slope, so that when the rains come, the waters won’t erode the
topsoil and the nutrients it contains.
Dir. Salguero added that through SCoPSA, soil erosion
in areas planted to corn will be lessened by 10 percent annually.
Meanwhile, Joseph B. Rojales, the Chief of Soil
Erosion Assessment and Conservation Evaluation Section of BSWM said that SCoPSA
targets to increase farmers’ income by at least 10 percent through the adoption
of appropriate soil conservation measures in corn areas.
He stressed that SCoPSA as a system will teach farmers
to plant alternative crops such as mungbean, peanut, kadios and soybean aside
from corn in sloping areas in order to increase soil fertility.
“They can also plant kakawate, ipil-ipil and
tricantera as barrier plants along the contour lines not only to prevent soil
erosion but also to serve as added source of nitrogen for the soil, Rojales
said.
Kelzie Rennieth Aquino, SCoPSA Focal Person of DA 6
said that techno-demo farms were already established in Cuartero, Capiz, and
Batad, Iloilo.
“We have already given corn seeds, pineapple suckers
and production inputs to our corn farmer cooperators in these farms. And we are
closely monitoring the implementation of the project together with the local
government units to ensure its success.” Aquino added. /MP
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