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Agriculture
The Ocho-Ocho Project
The project desires to:
The project aims to:
1. To increase production and yields for traditional commodities such as rice, corn and higher, value crops such as the native “pinakbet” type vegetables,
2. To build up self-sufficiency and stimulate exports,
3. To increase revenues for farmers from their farm enterprises,
4. To develop entrepreneurial and managerial skills among farmers to enable them to, sustainably manage their farm clusters as farm enterprises and,
5. To increase the revenues of the city from proceed shares and increased tax uptake.
Major Components
1. Land Re-Engineering. Improvement of agricultural land configuration to facilitate farm mechanization, accessibility, irrigation and cropping system design
2. Technology Development and Promotion. Establishment of soil laboratory, soil analysis, development of organic farming-based technology packages and promotion
3. Clustering, Organizing and Capability-Building. Formation of farm management units or clusters of eight hectares involving eight farmers each, with their own organization and building entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities among farmer-leaders
4. Financing. Provision of credit assistance and credit guarantee fund to facilitate adoption of technology
5. Production Planning and Cropping System Management. Optimizing crop mix, synchronization of planting and timing of planting and harvesting with market trends
6. Farm Mechanization. Mechanized production and harvesting within and between clusters
7. Post-Harvest Handling. Acquisition and operation of post-harvest facilities such as driers and warehouses to minimize losses and ensure quality of harvest
8. Irrigation Development. Development of new irrigation systems as well as repair/rehabilitation of shallow tube wells, etc.
9. Market Engagement. Bulk marketing, direct marketing, market matching and linking with sister cities, price monitoring and establishment of a warehouse, cold storage and trading post
The project targets the City’s 10,000 farmers although priority is given to the marginalized segments comprising about 5,000.
Prior activities for credit assistance mobilization, technology generation and promotion, cluster farming has already commenced. The city government has allocated PhP30 million for the program for 2005.
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Land Re-Engineering
(A Key to Agro- modernization)
The project is a vital component of the ocho-ocho agricultural modernization program. It entails the improvement of agricultural land configuration to facilitate farm mechanization, accessibility, irrigation and cropping system design. The project will address the irregularity of topography and shape of farmlands which hinder farm mechanization and irrigation.
The project aims to:
1.Promote farm operations efficiency 2. Reduce farm costs 3. Increase agricultural productivity 4. Improve farm production and cropping systems planning
Major Components
1. Acquisition of farm machineries
2. Land re-configuration
3. Construction of piped irrigation canals
4. Improvement of farm access roads
Target Beneficiaries:
10,000 farmer-households
The initial acquisition of farm machineries was already done in 2005.
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Establishment of Soil Laboratory
The project calls for the establishment of a soil laboratory where nutrients, pH and other chemical characteristics of soils in the city will be analyzed. The project is a major component of the Ocho-Ocho Agricultural Development Program that shall make Alaminos an agri-exporting city in the future. It will facilitate production and crop systems planning and development of appropriate technology packages.
It is geared to enhance the level of soil productivity of farmlands while mitigating further degradation of farmlands and to reduce farm production cost.
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High Value Commercial Crops
The city’s current programs for High Value Commercial Crops (HVCC) include the following:
1. Pinakbet Farm
2. Ube Farm, and
3. Orchard.
Through partnerships with PSU Sta.Maria, Mary Check Corp. Harbest Corp., East-West Corp. and ILLARDEC, by providing free seeds, trainings and study tours, the city was able to launch its HVCC programs in different barangays and was also able to produce 70 farmer technicians which practices innovative farm technology. To date, there are already 15 clusters of Pinakbet Farms since it was launched in November 2004, with each pinakbet farmer earning an average net income of Php 115, 000 per 1, 000 sq. m. The Ube Farm is now currently being cultivated in ten barangays, with an initial net income from January to April 2006 of Php 89, 512. The Orchard program in Brgy. Tawin-tawin, this year the farmers earned Php 33, 420 from selling 500 kg. of papaya, 80 kg. of calamansi, 40 kg. of ginger and 910 kg. of green pepper.
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Greenhouse Project
Nestled in the five hectare MVC Techno-Demo Farm in Brgy. Tangcarang, the 400 sq.m-Greenhouse is currently cultivating Honeydew melons. It was established in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSW). Farm inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, etc. were provided by the LGU while the technology was adapted from the month-long seminar on Greenhouse Management in Cavite attended by the city Agriculturist Mercuria Carambas. The Greenhouse started its operation in June 28, 2004 with melons, eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, lettuce, pechay and cabbage as the first cultivated commodities. The second operation began on September 2005 and earned a net income of Php 11, 628.87 from 354.39 kg. of honeydew melon, 118.45 kg. of tomato and 63.6 kg. of cabbage. The net income reached Php 14, 079.48 on its third operation, from 801.15 kg. of melon and 70 kg. of pechay. Currently, the greenhouse undergoes three (3) harvesting cycles, and uses computerized drip irrigation. To date, the city started a 22-module Greenhouse in Brgy. Bolaney last April 2006 and the installation of drip irrigation will start by the month of August. The said greenhouse is set to begin its operation by September of this year.
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Pinakbet Farm
The city government in its mission to alleviate the living condition of its people, conceptualized and pioneered Ocho-Ocho program for Agriculture Agenda towards sustainable development. It is in this strategy which Pinakbet Farms in the city were being managed. It was named Pinakbet Farm basically because ingredients in the said local cuisine (pinakbet) are grown there. Pilot areas were strategically located in the main roads of the city for easy access particularly for cross-visits and study tours. Also, in partnership with East-West Seed Company, Harbest Seed Company, DA-RFU I through ILLIARC and SEMINIS Seed Company, the city were able to demonstrate pinakbet farm in 3 different barangays (San Vicente, Pogo & Bued) and now being replicated and implemented at 12 barangays (Sta. Maria, Dulacac, Pocal-Pocal, Bolaney, Tangcarang, Pandan, San Vicente, Macatiw, Amangbangan, Telbang, Mona and Sabangan) in the city.
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Ube Farm
In February 2005, the city met with the Brgy. Council of Amangbangan to discuss the development of idle lands through ube production. This will augment the income of farmers and possibly partner with companies which produces ice cream, candies and other delicacies. On the same month, training for ube production was conducted. The training was participated by farmers from the city’s 39 barangays. The first Ube Farm was launched in Brgy. Amangbangan on May 2005, in a 1 hectare farm. The city provided the ube sets while DMMSU provided the free training for the technology needed for ube production in the city. There are currently ten (10) ube farms in the city located in the following barangays: Inerangan, San Antonio, San Roque, Panagapisan, Mona, Bolaney, Macatiw, Linamnsangan, Pogo, and San Jose. The city was also able showcase its ube produce at the Harvest Festival held in the city on the first week of April of this year.
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Yellow Corn Production
The yellow corn production program cited an average 5.9 metric tons per hectare last March 2006, as reported by the City Agriculture Office. The project, started on November 2005 at Brgy. Pocal-pocal. It aimed to provide additional income to farmers, as well as support the City Veterinary Office''s feed mill project. By late November 2005, about 13 participating barangays, which covered 16.7 hectares, were intensively intended for corn production. The city partnered with the DA-RFU-I and UP Los Baños for seeds and technical knowledge that was disseminated to the farmers who responded to the corn production program.
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Orchard
Papaya and spices are currently planted in the Orchard farm in Brgy. Tawin-tawin. Launched in May 2005, it initially planted 400 hills of papaya, 130 hills of calamansi, ginger and black pepper and green pepper was added to the list in October 2005. Harbest Corp. provided the technology need for the orchard production while the city provided the inputs such as seeds, plastic mulch and fertilizer.
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