From a young age, Dominador Julian Jr. has followed in his father’s footsteps. And though financial constraints did not permit him to complete his own studies, farming made it possible for his siblings. He supported his siblings instead in pursuing their chosen degrees.
Building up his own family, farming became his lifeline as well. It was not just a job for sustenance, it also served as one of the crucial pillars of their income.
“When my wife decided to pursue better opportunities abroad, I found myself responsible for taking care of our two children. To expand our agricultural practice, I ventured into integrated farming – incorporating fishponds into our rice crop production. The income generated from selling fish significantly improved our economic state,” Mr. Julian shared.
To not limit his traditional knowledge in farming, he decided to join Farmers Field School on production of high-quality inbred rice and seed certification and farm mechanization offered by Jacob’s Farm in 2019. He joined the said learning course with hopes that he will be able to acquire new knowledge that he could apply in his own farm.
Used to’s
Before the FFS, Mr. Julian is a traditional farmer who has long been conforming to the used to’s. His family has been utilizing carabao in the preparation of their land for rice production. It is a laborious process and it requires a lot of time. Such time requisite limited them to look for other opportunities that could add up the family’s income.
“Sakbay ak nga nakinayun ak ejay FFS ket ti pampamaayan mi ti panangisagana me iti pagmulaan ket mang usar kami iti nowang nga mang arado ken mang suyod. Maysa nga napansin ko ket mejo nabayag day proseso karkaro ta mejo mabayag ekasta ti nowang nga agkuti. Ket idi kasjay pailang kt han kami makatrabaho ti daduma ta mabayagan kamijay ng stage. Sakami lang mejo makalag-an ken makaaramid iti dadduma nga mabalin maaramid no nalpasen nga naraepan day pagtalunan. (Before participating in the FFS program, we relied solely on a carabao for the plowing and harrowing process. I observed that this approach is very time-consuming, as the carabao worked at a slower pace. During the land preparation, it was challenging to multitask or engage in other activities. We could only work on other tasks once the plowing is done)."
In seed sowing, Mr. Julian believed that the more seeds broadcasted the higher the yield. He does not follow the standard seed bed size 20 meters by one meter. Since he cannot work on a one hectarage rice production area alone, he hires people who could help him in uprooting and replanting the seedlings. This cost him higher labor costs.
“Ti kunak metlang edi ket no ado ti eraep ko ejay maysa nga hill ket maka produce to daytoy ti ado nga bunga. Esunga ti epapaaramid ko edi a ket mejo napoposkor ti ikaskata me nga mangraep. Tapno ti kunak ket mapadas ko nga makaapit iti ado. (I usually thought that planting a greater number of seedlings per hill would result in a higher crop yield. That's why I tell the farmworkers to replant more quantity of seedlings so that I could increase my harvest)”
Tech realizations
In 2019, his perspectives on such traditional ways totally change for he was introduced to various technologies that greatly helped him increase his production. He was able to benchmark the use of walk behind mechanical transplanter, Palay check system and other machineries applicable.
“Edi umuna agalanganin ak nga mangipadas ta edi ebagbaga da nga mabalin nga eraep day 15 days lang nga seedling ket hanak mamati ta no kitkitan ket nagbabasit pailang ket kunak adi pay malmes dagitay raep. Ngem edi nagpa techno demo ni sir Jacob ket ejay ko nakita nga ni napintas gayam daytoy nga makinarya. Esunga edi nalpas diay nga techno demo ket pinadas ko met ejay kapagayak. (At first, I was hesitant to try and use the walk behind transplanter because the seedlings to be transplanted are just 15 days old, with this, I was not convinced that the seedling would thrive when transplanted. These seemed so small. But when Sir Jacob conducted the technology demonstration, I saw how effective this machinery is. After witnessing the technology demonstration, I tried to use and implement it in my crop production.)"
A significant technology he adopted after participating in the FFS is the utilization of the walk-behind transplanter. This technology proved instrumental in reducing his labor expenses. Previously, he relied on hiring laborers to manually uproot and transplant seedlings, incurring an average cost of P9,000. However, since implementing the machinery, his expenses have been limited to gasoline, food, and equipment rental incurring him an average cost of P4,000.
Through the transplanter he was able to follow recommended seedling distances of 30 x 15 cm when transplanting. This also enabled him to regulate the seedlings being transplanted per hill. When he started using the machinery, fertilizer application became easier. Also, it would only take a day to finish the work.
“Maysa nga ususarek metlang tadta ket jy hand tractor nga mankoliglig ejay daga. Edi inususar ko daytoy ket maparungsotan nga nalaing dagijay nabatbati nga dayami. Ta idi nowang paylang ususaren me ket uray bingco bingcol day daga ket raraepan me ladta. Tadta ket magelgel gel nga nalaing jy luta ket mayat ken alalisto day ikasta men nga mangraep. (One machinery that I am using in my field is the hand tractor. I see it as an efficient way to cultivate the soil, it also enabled the trimmed rice straw to properly decompose. Before, when we only used a carabao for plowing, the land was still cloddy during the transplanting. With the hand tractor the soil becomes well-tilled facilitating faster sowing.)"
A drawback
“Mayat koma ti pagbalinan na ta sinurot me jy naisuro, ngem ti problema me gamin ket jy padanum (following what were taught should have turned out good if not for the irrigation problems)”, said Mr. Julian
Although we have incorporated advanced machinery and innovative techniques into our rice production, the irrigation system remains a significant challenge due to the farm's reliance on rain-fed water. Implementing recommended water management practices in Keycheck 6 can be challenging at times. In such situations, we have not yet been able to fully optimize our yield. The water supply is not sustainable in the area where farmers depend largely on rain that could possibly arrive in their area.
“Actually, para kanyak napintas koma nga maintegrate dagitoy nga technology ditoy area me ngem ti poblema gamin kt jy danum, nakadepende kami iti tudo, no once nga nagtudo ket ejay min nga paspasan nga trabahuen jy pag talonan me ket no han kami makatrabaho ejay nga nagtudoan na ket han mi masangbot agagastos kami eti water pump. (Actually, for us, it's great to integrate these technologies in our area, but we are struggling with water supply. The community solely relies on rain, that’s why if it is rainy season, we need to fast tract working on our rice field because if we fail to do so we will be obliged to pay for the gasoline of water pump.)"
Yet, even amid this seemingly challenge, there is a glimmer of hope for farmers like Mr. Julian, and it comes in the form of "Alternate Wetting and Drying" (AWD), a sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural practice that holds the potential to transform their fortunes.
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is an innovative water conservation technique that farmers can adopt to reduce their usage of irrigation water in rice fields while maintaining or even increasing crop yield. AWD involves a unique irrigation approach where water is introduced several days after the standing water has receded, causing the field to cycle between flooded and non-flooded conditions. The duration of dry soil periods between irrigations can fluctuate, ranging from as short as one day to more than ten days, contingent on factors such as soil type, weather conditions, and the growth stage of the crop.
The farming landscape is evolving, and with the challenges of water scarcity, innovative approaches like AWD emerge as beacons of hope for farmers battling against the odds. For farmers like Mr. Julian, the promise of alternate wetting and drying could mean a return to more prosperous harvests and a brighter future.
Thus, Mr. Julian encourages his fellow farmers to join various learning courses on agriculture for this will help in increasing their knowledge and would be beneficial in increasing their rice yield. Let us not close doors to better opportunities and try various innovations that could surely help us progress.//
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