By Nino Manaog
Extension Associate
Capiz State University
To teach the upland farmers in their locality on sloping agricultural land technology and similar farming practices, the President Roxas FITS Center led by its manager, Leonardo Barcenas, conducted the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) on July 19–20, 2012 at the President Roxas FITS Center, President Roxas, Capiz.
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| Women farmers try their hands on positioning the A-frame on the hilly parts of the farms during the study tour at Malapad Cogon, Sigma, Capiz. |
Peñaranda promoted SALT to the farmers for its practicability and cost-effectiveness. According to Peñaranda, SALT is a simple, applicable, low-cost method of upland farming. It is designed for small farmers with few tools, little capital and little knowledge of modern agriculture.
In SALT, farmers make use of an “alley farming” in which field and perennial crops are grown in bands 4 to 5 m wide between contoured rows of leguminous trees and shrubs.
In the second day of the training, the farmer-participants toured and were taught hands-on by Benito Lapindao, agricultural technologist, who led the actual demonstration of SALT on site at the Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Center for Hillyland Development in barangay Malapad Cogon in Sigma, Capiz.
The second batch to undergo SALT training consisted of some 15 farmers representing barangays Goce, Manoling and Badiangon, all of President Roxas, Capiz. Their first bath representing the same upland barangays underwent the same training in November last year.
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| Farmers Ricky Francisco of barangay Goce and Adonis Batan and Lucy Tungala, both of barangay Manoling, President Roxas also try their hands placing the A-frame to determine the contour levels of the soil. |
According to Annabelle Dorado, agricultural technologist of President Roxas FITS Center, the training was aimed to teach more upland farmers on the importance of practicable farming technologies which they can implement in their farms.
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| Agricultural Technologist Benito Labindao of the Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Center for Hillyland Development guides the farmer students on how to position the A-frame on their hilly farmlands. |
Meanwhile, Capiz State University’s Eduardo Navarra also shared to the farmers-participants practical knowledge on how they can improve their farming techniques. Navarra likewise promoted the use of organic farming practices.
Mr. Joseph Beltran, agricultural technologist who is in charge of crops, said that the farmers need to be educated on the proper farming system to minimize soil problems like erosion. Beltran added that they designed their training for the four barangays. Only the barangay of Bayuyan was not able to take part in the second batch of SALT.
The training was supported by the local government of President Roxas under the leadership of Mayor Raymund Locsin.
