By
Francis B. Degay
BAUKO,
Mountain Province — Three farms growing vegetables and fruits through the
state-of-the-art technology were visited by staff of the Mountain Province
Provincial Tourism Office in coordination with Bauko local government tourism
office here in in Cada and Mankayan, Benguet. The farming technology being
practiced in these farms includes the use of green houses, drip irrigation
system, and planting thru hydroponics and ground soil.
The two farms in Guisguisa-an, Mount Data, Bauko are owned
and operated separately by brothers Gabriel Calawa and Jonie Calawa, while
Francis Ching managed the farm in Cada. Gabriel Calawa, who owns the Green and
Berries Farm, is from Pakpakitan, Kibungan, Benguet who married Andrea from
Bulalakaw, Mankayan.
The Calawas had been
planting highland vegetables and strawberries in an open field. However,
Gabriel related that their plants were always affected during typhoons and
strong rains hence, their income was just enough to start the succeeding cropping
cycle and family’s subsistence.
Gabriel said that he
was encouraged to undergo the modern agricultural technology when a certain
Freddie Langpaoen, from Benguet, brought him and his family to Tagaytay City,
Batangas to observe the high-tech farming approach. Before 2007, Calawa started
to procure a sloping garden, which he now tills today. He made some leveling of
the lot, fabricated GI posts and bought plastic sheets as roofing.
He commenced the new farming approach after he completed
procurement of equipment and gadgets needed for the drip irrigation system
sometime in 2007. Every after harvest, he managed to expand her green houses
and procured additional irrigation gadgets. He now owns 12 tunnels of green
houses, which occupy about 4,200 square-meter lot and four deep wells that
supply the irrigation requirement of his farm.
He also uses mini
hand tractors to till garden lots and mini loader to use in leveling sloping
areas. Calawa showed how the drip irrigation system is operated. It is propelled
by an electricity, with centralized valves, pipes that were connected to
smaller tubing and emitters.
According to him, his family plants in a staggered basis so
that the vegetable and fruit supplies of his market outlets in Baguio City and
La Trinidad are sustained. He currently plants strawberries and romaine
lettuce. Romaine is popularly used as salad and garnish for burgers.
During the initial
stage of his project, a certain company based in Manila contracted Gabriel as
the buyer. Calawa then withdrew his deal because the payments made by the
company became irregular. A few meters away from Gabriel’s farm was the Green
Salad Farm owned by Gabriel’s brother Jonie.
The several greenhouses were presently planted with romaine
and green ice lettuce, kale (leaf cabbage), spinach, and celery. Jonie is
employing the same agricultural technology as his brother Gabriel. Another farm
we visited was the John Josh Strawberry Farm, owned and operated by Francis
Ching, located at Cada, above barangay Sinto, Bauko.
According to a
certain Luciano Calavera III, a close aid of Ching, he said that Ching started
planting strawberry, cabbage and potato in a 1,000 sq. m. green house in the
mid 90s. He stopped planting strawberry when mites totally wiped out his
plantation. Ching has now a total land area of three hectares, all covered with
green houses.
These are planted with romaine and iceberg lettuce, cabbage
and strawberries. He uses hydroponics and ground soil methods of production.
The 3 farms visited employ workers mostly from the lowlands. Drip irrigation
technique was originated in Israel way back in 1965.
Hydroponics, on the other hand, is a method of growing
plants by using mineral nutrient solution in a water solvent instead of soil.
This is one of the oldest agricultural technology that dates back when hanging
gardens of Babylon and floating gardens of China started.
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