as an alternative to hi-input farming northern luzon ... · production of swine, poultry, sugar...

the need to developLOW-INPUT AGRICULTUREas an alternative toHI-INPUT FARMINGamong the peasants of theNORTHERN LUZON CORDILLERA

the need to developLOW-INPUT AGRICULTUREas an alternative toHI-INPUT FARMINGamong the peasants of theNORTHERN LUZON CORDILLERAÁPIT TAKÓAlliance of Peasants in the Cordillera HomelandÁPIT TAKÓAlliance of Peasants in the Cordillera Homeland

Our CordilleraOur Cordillera

• currently divided into six administrative provinces:

BenguetIfugaoMountain ProvinceAbraKalinga Apayao

• currently divided into six administrative provinces:

BenguetIfugaoMountain ProvinceAbraKalinga Apayao

• central group of mountain ranges in Northern Luzon

• central group of mountain ranges in Northern Luzon


• largest & most densely settled mass of mountains in the Philippines

with a land area of 1.8 million hectares& a population of 1.6 million

• largest & most densely settled mass of mountains in the Philippines

with a land area of 1.8 million hectares& a population of 1.6 million

• its environment harsh for agriculture:• its environment harsh for agriculture:Our CordilleraOur Cordillera

Nearly 61% of the Cordillera is steep – sloped 45o or more. It is thus highly erosive; its topsoil layer, fairly thin.

Nearly 61% of the Cordillera is steep – sloped 45o or more. It is thus highly erosive; its topsoil layer, fairly thin.

Its mountain ranges are ruggedly ridged, & even where we have tamed the ridges by means of terracing, we have not succeeded in creating many wide fields.

Its mountain ranges are ruggedly ridged, & even where we have tamed the ridges by means of terracing, we have not succeeded in creating many wide fields.

Our CordilleraOur Cordillera• its environment harsh for agriculture:• its environment harsh for agriculture:

• its environment harsh for agriculture:• its environment harsh for agriculture:Altitudes rise to more than 2,900 meters;temperatures drop to less than 4oC;winds sometimes race to a velocityof 240 kilometers per hour;rain sometimes falls at a rateof 1.5 meters per day.

Altitudes rise to more than 2,900 meters;temperatures drop to less than 4oC;winds sometimes race to a velocityof 240 kilometers per hour;rain sometimes falls at a rateof 1.5 meters per day.


• its environment harsh for agriculture:• its environment harsh for agriculture:The factors just cited makecrop, livestock, & fish production difficult & even risky.

The factors just cited makecrop, livestock, & fish production difficult & even risky.


Our CordilleraOur Cordillera• Yet agriculture has been practiced here

since before the 12th century, when our ancestors carved their first terraces out of the steep mountainsides of western Ifugao, & divertedwater from mountain springs & streams to irrigate these.

• Yet agriculture has been practiced here since before the 12th century, when our ancestors carved their first terraces out of the steep mountainsides of western Ifugao, & divertedwater from mountain springs & streams to irrigate these.

Our CordilleraOur Cordillera• Now, it is the primary livelihood of

approximately 211,000 of our households,more than 46% of whom still practice traditional agriculture,

• Now, it is the primary livelihood of approximately 211,000 of our households,

more than 46% of whom still practice traditional agriculture,

Our CordilleraOur Cordillera• Now, it is the primary livelihood of

approximately 211,000 of our households,more than 46% of whom still practice traditional agriculture, while nearly 54% have either shifted to modernized farming or adopted many of its elements.

• Now, it is the primary livelihood of approximately 211,000 of our households,

more than 46% of whom still practice traditional agriculture, while nearly 54% have either shifted to modernized farming or adopted many of its elements.

• subsistence-oriented• subsistence-orientedTraditional AgricultureTraditional Agriculture

• & thus highly diversified –It includes:

wet-rice cultivation, cattle raising, swidden cultivation, & the backyard production of swine, poultry, sugar cane, coffee, plus a wide array of rootcrops, vegetables, & fruits.

• & thus highly diversified –It includes:

wet-rice cultivation, cattle raising, swidden cultivation, & the backyard production of swine, poultry, sugar cane, coffee, plus a wide array of rootcrops, vegetables, & fruits.

Traditional AgricultureTraditional Agriculture

• widely dispersed among small autonomous households

• widely dispersed among small autonomous households


• but attended by many mutual-aid & cooperative arrangements inthe allocation & management of both natural resources & human labor

• but attended by many mutual-aid & cooperative arrangements inthe allocation & management of both natural resources & human labor


• involves crop varieties that are either indigenous

• involves crop varieties that are either indigenous


• involves crop varieties that are either indigenousor well-adapted to local conditions

• involves crop varieties that are either indigenousor well-adapted to local conditions


• completely organic:Not only does it feature zero utilization of synthetic chemicals; It is more heavily reliant on integrated social-environmental management than on any inputs for ensuring soil fertility & deterring pest infestation. This includes, for example, the following practices.

• completely organic:Not only does it feature zero utilization of synthetic chemicals; It is more heavily reliant on integrated social-environmental management than on any inputs for ensuring soil fertility & deterring pest infestation. This includes, for example, the following practices.


• completely organic:• completely organic:Traditional AgricultureTraditional Agriculture

• maintaining & even deliberately intervening in the development of biologically diverse forests around or near the farms

• maintaining & even deliberately intervening in the development of biologically diverse forests around or near the farms


• seeing to the synchronized cropping of the wet-rice farms (This facilitates not only pest management but also irrigation & labor management.)

• seeing to the synchronized cropping of the wet-rice farms (This facilitates not only pest management but also irrigation & labor management.)


• periodically fallowing swidden land – & in some cases even the wet-rice fields – & actively managing fallow crops (In some cases, the scheme may be regarded as a form of alternate cropping.)

• periodically fallowing swidden land – & in some cases even the wet-rice fields – & actively managing fallow crops (In some cases, the scheme may be regarded as a form of alternate cropping.)

• market-oriented • market-oriented Modernized FarmingModernized Farming

• tends towards monocropping:• tends towards monocropping:Modernized FarmingModernized Farming

Hectare upon hectareof farmland are devoted exclusively & continuously to potato or carrot or cabbage or strawberry or tobacco or some othertype of crop – in some cases, rice or corn.

Hectare upon hectareof farmland are devoted exclusively & continuously to potato or carrot or cabbage or strawberry or tobacco or some othertype of crop – in some cases, rice or corn.

Modernized FarmingModernized Farming• yet is broken up:

Each household manages its crop on its own, oftenin competition, rather than cooperation, with the producers of the same type of crop in the same area.

• yet is broken up:Each household manages its crop on its own, oftenin competition, rather than cooperation, with the producers of the same type of crop in the same area.

Modernized FarmingModernized Farming• Most of the plant breeds – including

those of rice & corn – are alien & ill-adapted to the area. Crop viability is thus dependent on fertilizer & pesticide inputs largely synthesized from petroleum by-products.

• Most of the plant breeds – including those of rice & corn – are alien & ill-adapted to the area. Crop viability is thus dependent on fertilizer & pesticide inputs largely synthesized from petroleum by-products.

ImpactImpact• The intensive

utilization of synthetic chemicals on the modern or modernizing farms has taken a heavy toll on the soil & the general environment.

• The intensive utilization of synthetic chemicals on the modern or modernizing farms has taken a heavy toll on the soil & the general environment.

ImpactImpact

• Along the Benguet & Mountain ProvinceVegetable Belt, where the oldest of these farms are located, the soil has become hard & dry & acidic.

• Along the Benguet & Mountain ProvinceVegetable Belt, where the oldest of these farms are located, the soil has become hard & dry & acidic.

ImpactImpact

• Farmers are able to grow crops here onlyby cultivating the soil quite intensively &incorporating at least a ton of chicken dung in every hectare of crop bed they prepare.

• Farmers are able to grow crops here onlyby cultivating the soil quite intensively &incorporating at least a ton of chicken dung in every hectare of crop bed they prepare.

ImpactImpact

• They use at least three liters of liquid & 20 kilograms of powdered pesticide (of various types & brands, mixed together in deadly cocktails) to kill the micro-organisms & insects whose numbers have swelled with the intensified application of chicken dung.

• They use at least three liters of liquid & 20 kilograms of powdered pesticide (of various types & brands, mixed together in deadly cocktails) to kill the micro-organisms & insects whose numbers have swelled with the intensified application of chicken dung.

ImpactImpact• Discussions with Benguet farmers indicate

that more than a third of their earnings from crop sales goes to payments for inputs:

2% for seeds;5% for chicken dung;

13% for synthetic fertilizers;20% for pesticides –

most of which they obtain on credit extended to them by input and produce dealers on usurious terms.

• Discussions with Benguet farmers indicate that more than a third of their earnings from crop sales goes to payments for inputs:

2% for seeds;5% for chicken dung;

13% for synthetic fertilizers;20% for pesticides –

most of which they obtain on credit extended to them by input and produce dealers on usurious terms.

ImpactImpact

• Increased pest infestation associated with the application of chicken dung is only the latest in a string of episodes that show a steady erosion in both the environmental & the economic viability of crop production along the Vegetable Belt since high-input farming surged here

• Increased pest infestation associated with the application of chicken dung is only the latest in a string of episodes that show a steady erosion in both the environmental & the economic viability of crop production along the Vegetable Belt since high-input farming surged here during the heyday of the Green Revolution.during the heyday of the Green Revolution.

ImpactImpact

• Diminishing returns from production on their existing croplands has pushed farmers to clear more & more forest such that hardly any watershed still survives on the Vegetable Belt. Many springs have vanished, & many rivers have dwindled into creeks.

• Diminishing returns from production on their existing croplands has pushed farmers to clear more & more forest such that hardly any watershed still survives on the Vegetable Belt. Many springs have vanished, & many rivers have dwindled into creeks.

ImpactImpact

• Already dire, production problems

• Already dire, production problems have been aggravated by the water shortage.have been aggravated by the water shortage.

ImpactImpact• Only in times of

persistent rainfall is there enough water for both the farms & the farmers’ homes. Rain, however, transports chemical pollutants from farms to streams & streambeds.

• Only in times of persistent rainfall is there enough water for both the farms & the farmers’ homes. Rain, however, transports chemical pollutants from farms to streams & streambeds.

ImpactImpact• Frequent contact with pesticides &

continual intake of water laced with pesticide & fertilizer residuehave given rise to numerous health problems among the farming households of the Vegetable Belt.

• Frequent contact with pesticides & continual intake of water laced with pesticide & fertilizer residuehave given rise to numerous health problems among the farming households of the Vegetable Belt.

ImpactImpact• A survey conducted in Benguet by

Dr. Charles Cheng, Medical Director of the Baguio Filipino-Chinese General Hospital, shows that large percentages of vegetable farmers suffer diseases attributable to constant exposure to hazardous chemicals. Roughly:

70% suffer skin diseases;66% suffer eye diseases;50% exhibit the symptoms of

gastro-intestinal tract disorder;38% to 39% exhibit the symptoms of

various blood disorders;28% suffer cardio-pulmonary diseases.

• A survey conducted in Benguet by Dr. Charles Cheng, Medical Director of the Baguio Filipino-Chinese General Hospital, shows that large percentages of vegetable farmers suffer diseases attributable to constant exposure to hazardous chemicals. Roughly:

70% suffer skin diseases;66% suffer eye diseases;50% exhibit the symptoms of

gastro-intestinal tract disorder;38% to 39% exhibit the symptoms of

various blood disorders;28% suffer cardio-pulmonary diseases.

ImpactImpact• Also, as much as

24% of the farmers have experienced the symptoms of acute toxicity in their handling of pesticides.

• Also, as much as 24% of the farmers have experienced the symptoms of acute toxicity in their handling of pesticides.

ImpactImpact

• & as much as 42% have experienced symptoms which indicate that the pesticides are already starting to affect their nervous systems.

• & as much as 42% have experienced symptoms which indicate that the pesticides are already starting to affect their nervous systems.

NeedNeed• Despite the environmental, economic,

& health problems which it generates –& which are widely known to the Cordillera public –modernized high-input farming continues to draw an increasing number of peasants away from traditional low-input agriculture.

• Despite the environmental, economic, & health problems which it generates –& which are widely known to the Cordillera public –modernized high-input farming continues to draw an increasing number of peasants away from traditional low-input agriculture.

NeedNeed• This is because traditional low-input

agriculture has failed to expand in pace with population growth &can no longer produce enough to meet even the basic subsistence needs of all the households that still practice it.

• This is because traditional low-input agriculture has failed to expand in pace with population growth &can no longer produce enough to meet even the basic subsistence needs of all the households that still practice it.

NeedNeed• Faced with two systems of production

that are both problematic, we, the peasants of the Northern Luzon Cordillera, must seek an alternative course of agricultural development. Those of us who have affiliated with ÁPIT TAKÓ believe that the alternativelies along a middle path between tradition & modernity – specifically in

developing the resources utilized by low-input agriculture so that this can expand beyond its traditional levels of productivity to meet modern needs.

• Faced with two systems of production that are both problematic, we, the peasants of the Northern Luzon Cordillera, must seek an alternative course of agricultural development. Those of us who have affiliated with ÁPIT TAKÓ believe that the alternativelies along a middle path between tradition & modernity – specifically in

developing the resources utilized by low-input agriculture so that this can expand beyond its traditional levels of productivity to meet modern needs.

EffortsEfforts• During the past 25 years or so,

many of our communities have been working with non-governmental service agencies to:

evaluate our traditional knowledge, practices, & skills in agricultural productionin order to determine whether intervention is necessary & desirable for improving while, at the same time, conserving these;

• During the past 25 years or so, many of our communities have been working with non-governmental service agencies to:

evaluate our traditional knowledge, practices, & skills in agricultural productionin order to determine whether intervention is necessary & desirable for improving while, at the same time, conserving these;



develop new handtools & simple machines for enhancing productivity by applying the principles of appropriate technology;exchange knowledge, skills, & tool designs between communities that practice different cultures yet deal with similar conditions in their natural environment;


develop new handtools & simple machines for enhancing productivity by applying the principles of appropriate technology;exchange knowledge, skills, & tool designs between communities that practice different cultures yet deal with similar conditions in their natural environment;



improve or rehabilitate & extend existing irrigation systems so that it becomes possible toexpand wet-rice production;


improve or rehabilitate & extend existing irrigation systems so that it becomes possible toexpand wet-rice production;



inventorize, conserve, if necessary improve, propagate, & exchange or disseminate the seeds of:• traditional rice varieties that have proven to be

both resilient & fairly high-yielding;• other indigenous or locally well-adapted

varieties of foodcrops; • where necessary, plants that can be grown as

soil-ameliorating fallow crops, as border crops, or as fertilizer or pesticide material.


inventorize, conserve, if necessary improve, propagate, & exchange or disseminate the seeds of:• traditional rice varieties that have proven to be

both resilient & fairly high-yielding;• other indigenous or locally well-adapted

varieties of foodcrops; • where necessary, plants that can be grown as

soil-ameliorating fallow crops, as border crops, or as fertilizer or pesticide material.

EffortsEfforts• Most of these have been undertaken

among those of our communities whose agricultural systems have remained predominantly traditional. But since 2005, a few of our communities in the Benguet & Mountain Province Vegetable Belt have also started working with NGOs to acquire or re-acquire & develop knowledge, skills, & material resources they can use for the low-input, organic production of the crops they bring to the market.

• Most of these have been undertaken among those of our communities whose agricultural systems have remained predominantly traditional. But since 2005, a few of our communities in the Benguet & Mountain Province Vegetable Belt have also started working with NGOs to acquire or re-acquire & develop knowledge, skills, & material resources they can use for the low-input, organic production of the crops they bring to the market.

as an alternative to hi-input farming northern luzon ... · production of swine, poultry, sugar...

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