The environment, henceforth the ecology, has become a global area of concern over the last few decades. Environmental crisis has increasingly led people to reflect, innovate and utilize alternative methods to save the ecology. This is one of the advocacies that fueled the couple Henry and Perla Binahon to develop Binahon Agroforestry Farm (BAFF) in Lantapan, Bukidnon.
What started as a humble 2.75-hectare land is now considered one of the best examples of a farming facility that promotes scientific approach towards sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable agriculture, improved quality of life
is a type of agriculture that focuses on producing long-term crops and livestock while reducing effects on the environment. This pushes to find a good balance between the need for food production and the preservation of the ecological system. Several overall goals are associated with sustainable agriculture, including conserving water, ceasing the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and promoting biodiversity. Equally important is its focus in maintaining the economic stability of farms and helping farmers improve their techniques and quality of life.
Like the biodiversity of a forest, Binahon Agroforestry Farm is diverse and creative in the use of scientific approach following and promoting integrated farming systems, optimizing the bounty of nature with respect to its limits. BAFF promotes sustainable farming because it proposes a solution to the problems caused by most of the food being grown today. The present industrial farming methods are exhausting the natural resources through monocultures and the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, among other methods, while leaving people with unequal access to food and nutrition around the world. Due to a high reliance on chemical fertilizers, agroecosystem functioning has been disconnected from the internal cycling of key plant nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Alarmingly, global reserves are predicted to sustain food production for only another 50 to 100 years.
Scientific and organic farming systems
For more than 20 years, Binahon Agroforestry Farm has been developing its methods to maximize the uplands of Lantapan using different applications of farming systems for production and conservation.
The urgent need for sustainable resource management and the demand for agricultural commodities are rising rapidly as the world's population grows farms like BAFF. This is to develop scientific approaches and farming systems to protect the environment, expand the Earth’s natural resource base, and maintain and improve soil fertility. The following are some of BAFF’s most recognized organic farming systems:
Multistorey cropping system, or the integration of different 'storeys' or 'layers' such as soil, pasture/crops, livestock and trees in one land unit.
Sustainable Pest Management. BAFF uses three types of extracts for pest control. The first one is the use of sili juice (katumbal) that sprayed directly to plants, serving as pests’ repellant. Another natural attractant is prepared by mixing “suka a tuba” and sugar; and is placed inside plastic bottles to feed and catch sucking insects. The use of Indigenous Microorganism or IMO which is prepared by mixing fermented rice with sugar, used for odor control and growth control of bacteria in pigpens.
Alternative Organic Fertilizers. BAFF uses three types of alternative organic fertilizers. Firstly, Composting and Organic Fertilizer production, using a mixture called caphos which is a concocted material from kitchen wastes like eggshells and bones; with gin and sugar and is fermented for two weeks. This mixture is used as source of calcium, phosphorous and potassium for vegetables. Farm litter or biomass, on the other hand, is composed of animal manure (goat, chicken and carabao) which they harvest from the livestock they raise in the farm. Lastly, Vermicomposting is a process that relies on earthworms and microorganisms to help stabilize active organic materials and convert them to a valuable soil amendment and source of plant nutrients.
Wastewater Recycling is a process where the water from kitchen, bathrooms, house, and pigpens are collected and drained through a system of canals that serves to irrigate the diverse crops along the way. Calla lily is planted along the canal, which finally drains to the abaca area. This practice enables the farm to maximize the use of water.
Sustainable farming to farm tourism
Two of BAFF's recent initiatives is opening their farm to those who want to learn from experts in agroforestry and other related fields to encourage fellow farmers to start advocating the importance of ecology and sustainability while also making a profit from it. Another BAFF’s major breakthrough is opening its doors to tourists and promote farm tourism. BAFF offers a unique experience of communing with nature while learning the basics in organic planting, the farm also let their customers taste their fresh produce in their amazing farm-to-table restaurant, and they allow camping and overnight stays where their guests can spend time in the direct presence of nature.
“Continue to innovate. Make science work on your farm, share what you learned along with what you experienced and your insights,” said Mr. Binahon. (Brazzel Cabaltera, MSDC-II)
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