Ilocos farmers urged to change planting calendar, save water

 

Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos lists the possible solution for the El Niño problem for farmers in the province. (Alaric Yanos photo)

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

Laoag City—To mitigate the impact of El Niño, or the so-called prolonged drought in tropical countries like the Philippines, the Provincial Resiliency Task Force in Ilocos Norte continues to educate farmers here, urging them to change their planting calendar and save on water.

Popularizing the use of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), a water-saving technology that farmers can apply to reduce their irrigation water use in rice fields without any yield penalty, rice experts here have joined the Ilocos Norte government’s provincial resiliency task force to inform farmers about its advantages should farmers adopt this technology.

In AWD, irrigation water is applied a few days after the disappearance of the ponded water. The field is alternately flooded and non-flooded. The number of days of non-flooded soil between irrigations can vary from one day to more than ten days depending on a number of factors such as soil type, weather and crop growth stage.

How to implement AWD?

Nathaniel Alibuyog, Vice President for Research and Extension of Mariano Marcos State University, explains how the field water tube is used for implenting the Alternate Wet and Dry method. (Alaric Yanos)

Study shows that a practical way to implement AWD safely, without yield loss, is to monitor the depth of ponded water on the field using a ‘field water tube’. After irrigation, the water depth will gradually decrease. When the water level has dropped to about 15 centimeters below the surface of the soil, irrigation should be applied to re-flood the field to a ponded water depth of about 5 centimeters.

From one week before to one week after flowering, the field should be kept flooded, topping up to a depth of five centimeter as needed. After flowering, during grain filling and ripening, the water level can be allowed to drop again to 15 centimeters below the soil surface before re-irrigation.

AWD can be started 1-2 weeks after transplanting. When many weeds are present, AWD should be postponed for 2-3 weeks to assist suppression of the weeds by the ponded water and improve the efficacy of herbicide. Local fertilizer recommendations as for flooded rice can be used. Apply fertilizer N preferably on the dry soil just before irrigation.

Dr. Nathaniel Alibuyog, a researcher from the state-run Mariano Marcos State University said it is also important that farmers choose the perfect planting calendar by evaluating the planting windows from June to July for rice.

“There is domino effect if we change the planting calendar so we have to evaluate first and optimize the planting windows. One option for our farmers is to plant early,” Dr. Alibuyog said.

“Farmers can only truly appreciate the benefits of AWD method if adaption is done at the community system level,” said Dr. Alibuyog.

“Parang bagyo na lang yata ang [pag-ulan] sa Ilocos. Yung huli nating matino at maayos na ulan ay noong October [pa]. Kasi kapag November at December, konti, tapos wala na… uminit na bigla… ngayon paano tayo magsu-survive nito,” stressed Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos as she expressed worries about the extreme changes we are experiencing in rain and water supply.

According to Engr. Noel D. Ganotisi, senior science research specialist of Philippine Rice Research Institute in Batac, to mitigate the adverse effects of water drought in the province, “What we need to do is to produce more rice by using less water thus the need for AWD method as it reduces the use of water by as much as 15-35%.”.

In previous years, majority of farmers here suffered tremendous losses due to erratic weather conditions. Farmers are also advised to diversify their crops and plant immediate cash crops and avoid planting and harvesting on the typhoon season of September-November.

El Niño

According to Edwin Cariño, Millennium Development Goals (MDG) office head in the province, “The forum, which was participated by 150 farmers from the different municipalities of Ilocos Norte, emphasizes the importance of augmenting our water resources as El Niño sets in the province.”

“Sabi nga ng Pagasa, mild na El Niño daw, ang nararamdaman ko naman ngayon parang extreme El Niño… kasi sa totoo lang, bitak-bitak na ang lupa sa mga maraming lugar [sa probinsya] katulad sa Pinili, Piddig at Batac,” said Ms. Marcos during the forum.

In Pinili, it was revealed that they have been experiencing drought since January wherein their yields on vegetables and garlic have been suffering. While farmers in Pasuquin have pointed out that their irrigation systems became nonfunctional because of water scarcity.

“Nakagamit na po kami ng limang drums ng krudo dahil sa patubig lamang sa pagsasaka namin,” said Lemuel T. Sagayan, a farmer from Vintar, who expressed his high hopes that the provincial government will help the local farmers to surpass the challenge of farming without adequate water supply.

INWD promotes AWD

Meanwhile, John Teodoro, Ilocos Norte Water District general manager, said they “Already started promoting the method as well as the production of water tubes [main material of the AWD method] using INWD’s additional and faulty polyvinyl chloride (PVC)… used in the piping system of the province’s water supply.” Through this, he highlighted that they are also enforcing the ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’ practice.

Mr. Teodoro added: "What we produced will be distributed among Ilocano farmers and will serve as sample water tubes wherein they can replicate by using other materials, aside from PVC, like bamboos.”

“Kaya dapat tulong-tulong [tayo]…maasahan niyo po ang tulong ng [provincial government] pero kailangan natin na gumawa ng plano,” Ms. Marcos said as she urged Ilocano farmers to work hand-in-hand with the provincial government in mapping out an immediate water management plan. (With a report from John Michael Mugas of PGIN-CMO)