Agriculture.ph Blog

Growing orchids for fun

THE Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew list 880 genera and nearly 22,000 accepted species of orchids, but the exact number is unknown (perhaps as many as 25,000) because of taxonomic disputes.

The number of orchid species equals about four times the number of mammal species, or more than twice the number of bird species. Every year, about 800 new orchid species are added each year.

Filipinos have always been fascinated by orchids. Phalaenopsis (butterfly orchids), Dendrobiums (relative of “sanggumay”), and Vandas (relative of “waling-waling”) both native and hybrids, adorn many homes and gardens.

Some orchids are difficult to grow and quite exacting in their cultural requirements. Thus, growers are on the lookout for easy-to-grow types. The Semiterete Vandas readily fit in this category.

“Aside from having a ‘no fuss’ character, they are popular and flower profusely all year round,” said an investment primer published by the Laguna-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (Pcarrd). “Their flowers, which come in different shapes and colors such as red, pink, blue, green, yellow, and white, are in great demand locally.”

Orchids are in great demand during the special months of February (month of hearts), March (graduation month), May (fiesta and Santracruzan month), June (wedding month), November (month for remembering the dead), and December (holiday season and gift-giving month).

“During these special months, increased demand and price go hand-in-hand thus, ensuring good income for growers,” Pcarrd states.

Unlike other cutflowers that require expensive structure for their production to protect them from the sun and rain, semiterete vandas are happy under the sun and flower best in full sunlight.

These are more resistant to diseases compared with other vandas and can withstand open culture without protection from the heavy monsoon rains in June to October.

Cutflower production does not require a big area to be profitable. A 100-square meter lot is enough to generate good income. An unused piece of land around the house can also be used for this purpose. Aside from beautifying the home, cutflower production can also be a good source of income.

Based on 2006 data, the initial capital investment for producing semiterete vandas on a 100-square meter lot is P220,980 (including the land valued at P100,000). The average annual net income is P53,851. Payback period is after four years. The return on investment is 24.36 percent.

For those who want to grow orchids, any type of orchids, here are some basic tips from orchid enthusiast Jose Mari M. Lacandula:

Where to buy: Purchase your orchids from reputable nursery to ensure that you get a properly labeled plant and can return for advice. There are also websites that sell hard-to-find plants.

How to spot a good one: Go by the leaves. “Select plants with glossy green and intact leaves,” Lacandula says. A robust root system and small intervals of past flowering are also good signs.

What it needs: The same amount of light it would receive in the wild; usually filtered sunlight. When unsure, don’t water that day. And remember the old saying, “weakly, weekly” when fertilizing.

Common problems: Scales can form on the underside of the leaves, and heavily infested plants should be discarded. Failure to flower is typically due to poor growing conditions, especially inadequate light and fertilizer.

Written by Henrylito D. Tacio

Source: Sun Star

THE LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY

Landscaping has become a popular phenomenon these days. Many commercial establishments such as restaurants and shopping malls utilize a well-defined landscape to attract customers. Households with spacious front and backyard establish landscapes to beautify their homes. Even theme parks, memorial parks, and golf courses utilize plants in their landscapes to make their surroundings aesthetically tasteful.

Landscaping is a general term that refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of a land. It is the art and science of designing and managing the outdoor space to create an environment that is highly suitable to the biological and physiological well-being of man. As a science, landscaping involves technical knowledge for the selection, arrangement, and growing of plants. As an art, it requires skills for sculpturing the biological and nonbiological materials into a single and beautiful living ecosystem.

Primarily, the main purpose of landscaping is to achieve beauty, privacy, and pleasure with ornamental plants as its main component. Trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, and herbaceous perennials are utilized in a creative manner to beautify an outdoor space.

Ornamentals for Functionality

Landscaping is not limited to achieve beauty alone. The ornamental plants are the key elements used in landscaping and impart other functions that we usually not notice.

Owing to the beauty they bring, plants spare an element of satisfaction, relaxation, and delight to human beings. A simple arrangement of plants can alter the surrounding and render it more beautiful because of its inherent aesthetic and architectural qualities. But such designed environments are not just pretty. The plants in the landscape also add functionality by modulating temperature, abating noise, reducing glare, and increasing privacy and security. In this manner, a beautiful surrounding imparts a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquillity to man.

How to Landscape with Ornamentals

Landscaping is not as simple as it seems. Since landscaping is also a field of science, it involves processes that must be followed and a group of experts to perform the task.

There are three phases in landscaping before anyone can achieve a beautifully landscaped surrounding:

1. Landscape design involves the complete planning, designing, and drawing of an envisioned concept for a certain design. A licensed landscape architect and a landscape designer with appropriate training perform this task. As the name implies, a landscape architect is an architect of the landscape bringing together the natural balance the needs of the people and technology. A landscape designer is an individual who designs the work of the landscape architect.

The landscape designer is familiar with the basic design principles, plant cultural requirements, and basic landscape construction methods. The conceptualization of a design usually depends on a certain theme or mood, or sometimes culture. The Zen garden, for example, is a Japanese-inspired landscape and is a popular concept used in landscaping nowadays. The main elements of a Zen Garden are rocks and sand, with the sea which is embodied by sand. Plants are minimally used in a Zen Garden while embellishments are used mostly to symbolize something.

2. After the materialization of the blueprint of the design is the implementation. Landscape design implementation is the development or creation of the landscape. In this stage, the preparation of the site, planting of the selected ornamentals, installation of hardscapes, and construction of the landscape as a whole is being worked out. A landscape horticulturist or an engineer is in charge in this phase. A desired plant cannot be simply picked up and included in a landscape. Plants have their own cultural requirements that support their growth and survival.

The growth, habit, water, sunlight, and nutrient requirements are some of the few things considered in selecting plants to be included in the landscape. For example, Sansevieras, Aglaonemas, Dieffenbachia,s and Philodendrons could thrive better under the shade. On the other hand, San Francisco, Bougainvilleas, and Calachuchi prefer being planted under the sun where they can grow better.

3. After the plants have established and developed, landscape maintenance is needed to maintain aesthetic value of the envisioned design. Landscape maintenance is the art of keeping a landscape healthy, safe and attractive with the use of various tools, pieces of equipment, supplies, and skills. This includes the watering of plants, fertilization, pruning, pest and disease management, mulching, and edging. A poorly maintained landscape will do little to stimulate public belief in their value or necessity. Poor maintenance practices, even for a short period, can destroy much of the beauty of the landscaped area.

Landscaping as an Industry

According to Dr. Leonido Naranja, a landscape horticulturist and professor from the Crop Science Cluster of the College of Agriculture at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, landscaping has a very promising future in the country.

“With the mushrooming of subdivisions, golf courses, malls, theme parks, and other commercial areas, there will always be a demand for the services of those in the landscaping business and to our landscaping graduates as well,” Dr. Naranja said.

Landscaping as an industry involves a lot of sectors: stakeholders, real estate developers, landscape professionals, agriculturists, nursery owners, academic institutions, and government offices. Though landscaping is just a newly recognized industry, it has already provided opportunities for business and livelihood for the sectors involved in it.

However, as a budding industry, there are also problems encountered in landscaping. In the case of the designers, meeting the required volume of a certain plant species is their primary problem. In most instances, nursery owners fail to meet the volume of plant species specified in the landscape design that sometimes leads in changing the design.

Meanwhile, the increasing cost of production of planting materials such as planting media, fertilizer, and containers is the primary dilemma of nursery owners and plant growers. Rice hull for example, is the common planting medium used by nursery owners in Bulacan which can be availed of at a low price and sometimes even for free. After the discovery of rice hull as a potential source of fuel, the demand for it has increased along with the increase of its market price.

For the small-scale nursery owners, finding a market for their plants is their biggest concern. Since landscape designs usually require a large volume of plants, small-scale nurseries are often overlooked as possible sources of plants because they cannot satisfy the required plant volume. Dr. Naranja mentioned that in this regard, small nursery owners can organize and team up to meet the plant requirements of landscape contractors.

Future Endeavors

Much still remains to be done for the improvement of landscaping activities and as an industry as a whole. Dr. Naranja recognized the need for continuous research and development (R&D) of technology for ornamentals. He mentioned that R&D efforts can be focused on tree surgery, pruning, postharvest handling of ornamentals and the improvement and maintenance systems and practices for the ornamental and landscaping industry to thrive.

In the case of landscape design, the development of new trends that would showcase Filipino culture in the landscape is encouraged. An attempt to create a “Filipino Garden” using plants and embellishments that can be associated with the Filipino culture such as the nipa hut is being worked out.

Another undertaking, which is the advancement of edible landscaping, is being promoted to a larger extent. Edible landscaping is the utilization of food-producing plants in the constructed landscape, principally the residential landscape. It combines fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and ornamental plants into aesthetically pleasing designs in replacement of the traditional ornamental design. Landscaping with edibles is being promoted most especially in urban areas to contribute to sustainability. This concept is already being adopted by real estate developers where it is thought as something new and innovative as it provides food and imparts beauty at the same time.

Source: Ellaine Grace L. Nagpala of Beareau of Agrarian Reform (BAR)

The farmer in the net

If you own a Facebook account, which I’m sure you do, you might have come across several applications that may have either intrigued or annoyed you. Among the many interactive games available on Facebook, Farmville deserves a place of honor because of its fun graphics and originality, something that’s definitely more amusing that irritating like Pet Society.

Farmville has nearly 35 million monthly users, and pretty soon, it’ll surpass the 35,554,755 record achieved by the ‘How Well Do You Know Me?’ application on Facebook. Farmville’s San Francisco-based developer, Zynga, says that the game provided a simple, fun way for people to unwind at the end of the day, with players spending an average of 20 minutes a day. The game’s popularity has been boosted by a growing trend among urbanites to try to their hand at being a leisure farmer without getting their hands dirty, literally.

Urban Planning

The objective of the game is to make your farm bigger, profitable, level up faster, avoid crops being destroyed, and to socialize with friends. You can plant and harvest fruit seeds, crops, trees, purchase different farm animals, decorate how you want your farm to look.

“What I like most about the game is the fact that young people can play it too,” says Yciar Castillo who plays it with her son. “We send each other gifts and we tell each other when it’s time to harvest. It also teaches kids patience & the value of money in the sense that you have to make money by planting seeds (which you have to pay for) and harvesting and selling your crops.”

It is important to note first of all, that the farming profession requires lots of patience and tender loving care. Neglect your crops for a couple of days and you may come back to a dry miserable field. Of course, this will affect your earnings as well.

In order to be a rich farmer on Farmville, you will need to be a bit savvy about your crops and think well before deciding what to plant.

Go home and plant Camote!

If someone tells you that, go ahead and do it – but do it with class. In Farmville, you get to plant all sorts of things, which help you earn points from berries, veggies, coffee, peppers, pineapples, wheat, cotton, and trees. While in nature, it may take months or years to harvest, in the virtual world of Farmville you can see your crops grow within a few hours. If you wont have time to toil your cyberland, plant things that take longer to grow, like trees. You can also put animals that aren’t high maintenance.

Place everything you own as close together as possible; leave no empty space on your lot. Fill it with trees and animals, this way every inch of your land is making you money.

It’s Berry Good

If you’re bored and have tons of time on your hands, invest in a lot of strawberries. “Planting the berries are the fastest way to earn money, since they have a really short harvest time,” shares Farmville fanatic Kristine Icasas.

Written By ALEXEI F. VILLARAZA

Source: Manila Bulletin

Garden shows boost farming

Garden shows have a wonderful way of promoting agriculture, too. Although garden shows mostly focus on ornamental horticulture crops, non-ornamentals are also promoted. Just like when you will attend the forthcoming garden show in Los Banos on October 9 to 18, you will most likely encounter the newly introduced banana of Dr. Benito S. Vergara.

We are referring to a new dwarf saba banana variety which was introduced from Thailand a few years back. Dr. Vergara did not release the variety right away. He had to plant it first in a demo farm of less than a thousand hills to observe its performance in the field. After the plants had produced fruits, he had to subject the ripe fruits to a taste test. Then he had to test if the fruits are suitable for processing into banana chips. This he had it done by a commercial banana chips maker.

As Mrs. Lina Vergara attests, the ripe fruit tastes somewhat like our latundan. The banana chip, on the other hand, tastes much like those made from other varieties. It is possible that you might be able to acquire some suckers for your own planting.

Of course, ornamental plants are very much a part of agriculture. And they could be a good source of livelihood for both the hobbyist, the small sideliner, or the big time commercial grower. And we are told that this year’s garden show under the auspices of the Los Banos Horticulture Society will have its focus on palms and philodendrons in the garden.

Marina Catipon, LBHS president, said that new varieties of palms and philodendrons will be featured at the center stage exhibits at the Seniors Social Garden. The new varieties will include a giant Xanadu philodendron.

Former First Lady Amelita “Ming” Ramos, a certified plant lover, will formally open the show in the afternoon of October 9. On the next day, October 10, Fred Salud will lecture on practical guide to landscaping while Vic Chin will talk on the culture of Vanda orchids on Oct. 11. On October 17, Danny Tiu will talk on the culture of Grammatophyllums while Tere Saniano will discuss organic gardening for healthy living on October 18. The lectures will be held at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

Written by Zac Sarian

Source: Manila Bulletin

Weather-sensitive crops thrive in demo farm

LEGAZPI CITY—Aquinas University of Legazpi (AUL) has implemented a project, dubbed “Urban Agriculture through the High-Value Commercial Crops Techno-Demo Farm” within its expansive campus here.

The project features a 60-square-meter greenhouse where vegetables highly sensitive to rain and changes in temperature like broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and honeydew melon are being propagated.

Gardens for more hardy vegetables such as squash, eggplant and watermelon have also been established in an open area of 1,000 square meters which perimeters were planted to root crops like ube and sweet potato.

Cucumber and sweet corn are being intercropped with those plants during the dry season. A 5,000-square-meter farm for upland organic rice is also being established.

Adjacent to the demo farm, organic fertilizers will be produced soon through vermiculture using earthworms in the decomposition process of rice hull and coconut peat.

The first phase of the project started late last year with the establishment of a “techno-demo” farm in the Rawis Campus with a timetable of one year, after which it will be replicated on an expanded version in a larger property of the university in the upland village of Banquerohan, also here.

The replication will be the second phase of the project and is being supervised by Antonio Payonga of the Bicol University College of Agriculture and Forestry based in Guinobatan, Albay.

This phase would start before the end of the year and managed in such a way that it becomes self-sustaining.  The income derived from the sale of products will be plowed back to the project for continuous production. A part of the money will be saved for future expansion and development, Payonga said.

Vegetable production within the urban farm could be done continuously in a year with two or three cycles while upland organic rice and root crops will be produced once a year, he explained.

The demo farm is a project conceived by the Aquinas Center for Continuing Education (CCE) in response to the challenges of the prevailing food crisis felt with the dwindling supply of agricultural crops in the local market, Susan Cabredo, the CCE head, said.

The challenge is directed not only to the agriculture sector, but to all sectors of society, including academe, as the problem is exacerbated with the increases in prices of oil that directly affects food production and distribution, Cabredo said.

“Thus, it behooves academic institutions like AUL to transform from being mere consumers of food products to growers and suppliers, especially of high-value commercial crops, the technology of which could be shared with communities, particularly those in the urban areas,” she explained.

Related activities could also provide students in science, engineering and commerce hands-on experiences that dovetail classroom learning about state-of-the-art urban-farming technology. In fact, the AUL College of Business Administration has already prepared a business plan that would help the project earn revenue, Cabredo said.

Aside from alleviating poverty and improving the well-being of Legazpeños and Albayanos in the long-term, the project could also improve the quality of urban environment through “greening,” and thus help reduce pollution, she said.
Considering the university’s proximity, the demo farm could spur agro-tourism like the strawberry fields of La Trinidad, Benguet. It would also enhance or reinvigorate the entrepreneurial skills of the Aquinians while building stronger linkages with the communities it serves, Cabredo said.

AUL owns several parcels of land within the city, such as the downtown Political Science Campus, the Aquinas Peak in barangay Taysan and a vast agricultural estate in Banquerohan, among others. Close to the business district, the main campus in barangay Rawis is more than 30 contiguous hectares.

Written by Danny O. Calleja

Source: Business Mirror

Aquinas U promotes urban agri-technology in demo gardens

LEGAZPI CITY—Aquinas University of Legazpi (AUL) has implemented a project, dubbed “Urban Agriculture through the High-Value Commercial Crops Techno-Demo Farm,” within its expansive campus here.

The project features a 60-square-meter greenhouse where vegetables highly sensitive to rain and changes in temperature like broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower and honeydew melon are being propagated.

Gardens for more hardy vegetables such as squash, eggplant and watermelon have also been established in an open area of 1,000 square meters whose perimeters were planted to root crops like ubi and sweet potato.

Cucumber and sweet corn are being intercropped with those plants during the dry season. A 5,000-square-meter farm for upland organic rice is also being established.

Adjacent to the demo farm, organic fertilizers will be produced soon through vermiculture using earthworms in the decomposition process of rice hull and coconut peat.

The first phase of the project started late last year with the establishment of a “techno-demo” farm in the Rawis Campus with a time table of one year, after which it will be replicated on an expanded version in a larger property of the university in the upland village of Banquerohan, also here.

The replication will be the second phase of the project and is being supervised by Antonio Payonga of the Bicol University College of Agriculture and Forestry based in Guinobatan, Albay.

This phase would start before the end of the year and managed in such a way that it becomes self-sustaining.  The income derived from the sale of products will be plowed back to the project for continuous production. A part of the money will be saved for future expansion and development, Payonga said.

Vegetable production within the urban farm could be done continuously in a year with two or three cycles, while upland organic rice and root crops will be produced once a year, he explained.

The demo farm is a project conceived by the Aquinas Center for Continuing Education (CCE) in response to the challenges of the prevailing food crisis felt with the dwindling supply of agricultural crops in the local market, Susan Cabredo, CCE head, said.

The challenge is directed not only to the agriculture sector, but to all sectors of society, including academe, as the problem is exacerbated with the increases in prices of oil that directly affects food production and distribution, Cabredo said.

“Thus, it behooves academic institutions like AUL to transform from being mere consumers of food products to growers and suppliers, especially of high-value commercial crops, the technology of which could be shared with communities, particularly those in the urban areas,” she explained.

Related activities could also provide students in science, engineering and commerce hands-on experiences that dovetail classroom learning about state-of-the-art urban-farming technology. In fact, the AUL College of Business Administration has already prepared a business plan that would help the project earn revenue, Cabredo said.

Aside from alleviating poverty and improving the well-being of Legazpeños and Albayanos in the long term, the project could also improve the quality of urban environment through “greening,” and thus help reduce pollution, she said.

Considering the university’s proximity, the demo farm could spur agro-tourism, like the strawberry fields of La Trinidad, Benguet. It would also enhance or reinvigorate the entrepreneurial skills of the Aquinians while building stronger linkages with the communities it serves, Cabredo said.
AUL owns several parcels of land within the city, such as the downtown Political Science Campus, the Aquinas Peak in barangay Taysan and a vast agricultural estate in Banquerohan, among others. Close to the business district, the main campus in barangay Rawis is more than 30 contiguous hectares.

Written by Danny O. Calleja

Source: Business Mirror

EDC plants native trees in Nuvali

MANILA, Philippines – Buoyed by the success of its earlier tie-up with Ayala-supported Bonifacio Estate Services Corporation (BESC) and Ayala Foundation, renewable energy company Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has linked up anew with the conglomerate to bring its “Binhi: Tree for the Future” program inside the Nuvali eco-community in Laguna.

The 1,700-hectare residential estate is the newest host of premium but threatened Philippine trees like dao, ipil, kamagong, malaipil, molave, palosapis, supa, and yakal-saplungan, through the Ayala Property Management Corporation (APMC), which received the seedlings from EDC. The seedlings were planted at Nuvali’s Treveia neighborhood during a recent tree planting activity participated in by EDC and APMC employees.

Rei Medrano, manager for corporate social responsibility of EDC, thanked APMC and the Ayala group for agreeing to adopt and nurture the seedlings in Nuvali.

“We share Ayala’s philosophy on environmental sustainability. Our Binhi program is firmly rooted on that philosophy because it intends to rescue and secure our native but high-value timber species, which have dwindled in number because of deforestation,” Medrano explained.

Source: Philippine Star

Ayala Land incorporates bamboo planting in P10-B Nuvali development

The humble bamboo is getting a lift at Philippines’ first large-scale, ecology-friendly residential and central business district development in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna where Ayala Land will pour in a P10 billion-investment.

A total of 100,000 trees will be planted at Nuvali which will mainly use tree species that are endemic to this once sugarcane field of the Yulos.

And bamboos, native to the Philippine soil, will take center stage in this real estate development as it is a specie that can help reverse the effects of climate change.

“We’re planting bamboo trees which contributes 10 times more oxygen than normal trees. A bamboo tree can last 100 years and is self-generating. Once you harvest it, it grows again,” said Ayala Land Inc. Vice President and Nuvali General Manager Aniceto V. Bisnar Jr. to reporters on field tour.

Already P2.5 billion has been invested in Nuvali since 2007. Over the next five years, 460 hectares will be developed.

The bamboo tree may have been ignored in the country, but its economic benefit is definitely immense.

“It can generate a lot of income for Filipinos specially in the barangays. Aside from the wood for constructing houses and for furniture, there are many products from bamboo – the sticks for barbecue, the chopsticks in restaurants. Unfortunately, we are importing these from other countries, said Bisnar.

“It produces very useful products. It’s even used for food. The bamboo shoot can be used as a vegetable salad or as food for people in the barangay. Just like the coconut, I consider it a miracle tree. And if we encourage its propagation, it can generate income and employment.”

Ayala Land is investing an estimated P10 billion for Nuvali which is a vast development spanning 1,700 hectares. From the present development of residential sites, Nuvali will be host to a central business district conceived to become the “next Makati.”

A total of 46 hectares has been designated as a PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority)-registered zone. Locators will benefit from tax incentives.

The Nuvali development uses a low-intensity land design which involves balancing of open and built spaces at a 50-50 percent rate. This aligns with “green” guidelines benchmarked by the US Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.

The guidelines involve best practices in water conservation and reuse, energy efficiency, and waste management.

Water conservation is practiced through recycling; mandatory double-piping that enables water reuse where potable or drinking water is not a necessity; storm water management; bio-swales; and permeable surfacing such as rammed earth pavers and porous concrete pavers in pedestrian lanes and parking areas to recharge the natural underground water supply.

It has a four-hectare man-made lake that serves as a rainwater harvester which continuously recharges the water table.

On solid waste management, it will reduce Nuvali’s estimated landfill input through a waste segregation and material recovery facility.

Nuvali also has a 17-kilometer buffer area that has a wildlife and bird sanctuary. This area, home to 75 faunal species and 55 flora species, is developed in partnership with Haribon Foundation.

In waste water management, Ayala Land partners with also Ayala-owned Manila Water which runs the Laguna water system.

“We’re partnering with Manila Water which plans to modernize the water system and sewerage system in other towns in Laguna so that people can enjoy the environment without hurting it,” said Bisnar.

The bamboo’s place in a modern house

“Pliant like the bamboo” is a phrase often used to describe the Filipino. This is because of the Filipino’s ability to bend without breaking, to withstand the storms of circumstances, and ultimately come out the winner. While we have found credence in these qualities of the bamboo and the Filipino, we have likewise been drawn to its beauty and grace and would always opt to plant bamboo when given the opportunity and space.

Our interest, however, in bamboo as more than a lovely tree started when we read some years ago of a powerful earthquake that struck Sichuan province in Central China. With almost 70,000 killed in the earthquake and 1.5 million homeless, the Chinese government was at a loss to provide temporary housing in a matter of days.

We read of designer Ming Tang who came up with the idea of folding houses that looked like origami and utilized bamboo. He used bamboo poles, assembled into rigid geometric shapes that could easily be transported and re-assembled at the final site. They were then covered with recycled paper.
The Chinese government approved a fast track where these pre-fabricated bamboo temporary shelters could be built.

The project demonstrated not only to the Chinese but to the rest of the construction industry the rare qualities of the bamboo – how its lightweight and elastic properties are adept in resisting earthquake aftershocks. Its success undoubtedly gave rise to a fast-growing temporary shelter industry using bamboo especially in earthquake prone countries like Japan and China.

But the permanent housing industry was another matter. Bamboo was material for décor, one that spruced up a bathroom and gave an exotic look to a living room. But it couldn’t be accepted yet as building material. At a conference on non-conventional materials and technologies held in held in Vietnam in 2002, discussions were held on the research on various ways that can make bamboo an accepted construction material in the USA.

Proponents of the studies are looking for the means to makes these bamboo houses meet the building code standards of the Western world. They are also working at coming up with the first internationally accepted grading system for bamboo.

With all these in our mind bank, you can just imagine our excitement at stumbling into what appeared to be an all-bamboo house on the main street of Liliw, Laguna almost adjacent to the church entrance. It stood out in all its glory beside commercial establishments and buildings. We were told the owner was out of town, would return late, but we could come over the following day if we wanted to catch her.

Lydia Cortez Lugada is a school nurse at the Laguna Polytechnic State University and she commutes daily between work and home. She told us her parents were farmers and she had always remembered the small house of bamboo in the fields. Because her father had an artistic bent, he decorated the bamboo house with other items mostly also of bamboo, nipa and other native material.

When Lydia acquired the property near a place where she was already living, she thought of duplicating the farm house, “ang bahay namin sa bukid,” as she calls it.

Without any architect, engineer, contractor, or interior designer, she went ahead and did some drawings. She called a few trusted carpenters and proceeded to build her bamboo house in the year 2000. It has a concrete foundation, and utilizes hardwood and other materials like sawali for walls and under roofing. But for Lydia and those who stop by to marvel at it, this home will always be the Bamboo House.

As construction proceeded, Lydia remembers seeking out those whose homes she had admired; artisans and craftsmen whose reputations in Laguna were well known. She sought out a window maker in Nagcarlan and recalls asking him to integrate protective metal bars that should be camouflaged by the bamboo. She also consulted with another craftsman from Calauan.

Even in the plants in her small garden in front of the house, she has no preferences, no biases. “Pa tanim tanim lang,” she tells us.

Lydia confesses that she is amazed at the number of people who stop to admire her house of bamboo. “Simple lang naman itong bahay,” she says.

She admits that a bamboo house would not be for everyone. One has to be vigilant against the termites, bukbok, and unos, which are the most rabid enemies of bamboo. One has to have regular maintenance and treatment against these insects.

Apart from nursing, Lydia has a bakery business right beside her house with a branch in Majayjay. A friend offers the information that she is also into building and selling of houses which she neither admits nor denies.

The researchers in Vietnam and in China who are into studying the possibilities of using bamboo as material for houses, now come to mind. We now have this urge to point out to this little house in Liliw to them. We are certain Lydia would be happy to share with them her experiences in building her own house with just a handful of carpenters.

Email the author at bibsycarballo@yahoo.com

Written by Bibsy Carballo

Source: Manila Bulletin

Plant your own vegetables at home

With the national government’s mission to address the country’s food security, the Rizal Technological University (RTU) in Mandaluyong City, through its president Dr. Jose Q. Macaballug, has taken the lead and initiative in the implementation of a project dubbed, Urban Agriculture. This is presently being undertaken at selected barangays in the Mandaluyong City area.

Prof. Arlene Banaria-Alon, director of the University’s Research and Development Center. its project leader, Prof. Alexander Quilang, co-project leader Prof. Norberto Bautista and Prof. Jovita Anit are currently working with the city’s League of Barangays in incorporate this project into each of the chosen barangays.

Spearheaded by Atty. Jessie Cruz, it aims to promote vegetable gardening among city dwellers and eventually teach them to grow home-grown vegetables that are pesticide-free and readily available. In the future, the concept of urban farming can be adopted by other municipalities and cities in Metro Manila.

Urban Agriculture is not a new concept. It is the practice of cultivating, processing, packaging and distributing food in or around a village, town or city. It involves the principles in horticulture, animal science, fisheries, and business. Instead of raising vegetables in the province, it focuses production right in the home, usually in all available spaces like roof top gardens, backyards, vacant residential lots, in school lots or in community parks. Urban farming usually focuses on food production.

Urban farming has been successful in countries like the United States, where vegetables are raised in vacant lots to provide readily available crops in the area. The vegetables are usually cheap as the don’t need to be shipped or transported from distant locations.

With these, some of the activities to be involved in the project will include the planting and raising of small quantities of vegetable crops and small fruit trees, the cultivation of freshwater fish in container, the raising of  poultry and small livestock , the planting of houseplants for indoor use, the vermi-composting (earthworm) of garden wastes and the gradual introduction of organic gardening concepts.

Urban Agriculture aims to encourage the use of the bio-intensive method of food production which will help make urban farming more efficient.

RTU and the local government of Mandaluyong intend to make use of vacant lots, residential spaces, balconies and roof-tops for vegetable growing, urban greening, and landscape beautification. With these, it aims to create an alternative means of livelihood to city-residents, especially women and out-of-school youths. This will also instill an entrepreneurship attitude among residents. It also pushes for the composting of organic wastes, recycling of plastic, styro-foam, glass and metal wastes.

Vegetables and plant crops that can be planted for urban agriculture include Tomato, Bell Pepper, Hot Pepper, Pechay, Mustard, Upland KangKong, Spinach, Squash, Upo, Patola, Ampalaya, Eggplant, Onion, Shallots, Kinchay, Celery, Okra, Sitaw, Batao, Sweet Potato, Leeks, Basil, Alugbati, Raddish, Carrots, Saluyot, Wingbean, Lettuce, Ube, Papaya, Banana, Corn, Malunggay, Pandan, Katuray, Ginger and Gabi.

Fruits tress can be planted in areas with larger planting areas . This may include include Mango, Kamias, Sampaloc, Jackfruit, Star Apple, Balimbing, Guava, Rambutan, Chico, Makopa, and Guyabano.

There is a demonstration farm beside the Rizal Technological University’s campus where different vegetables are being pilot tested. Designs in vertical farming techniques using PVC Pipes and also in large polypropylene seedling bags are being tested.

Ideal sites or space must have enough open space. This will allow the plants to receive ample morning and afternoon sun. With a more spacious planting site, plants are protected from pedestrians and roaming animals.

Once the site is selected, the people who reside in the area will be trained in urban farming. Soil in the area will be cultivated using a spade and rake.

The project also entails the removal of large rocks, plastic litter and trash found in the selected planting sites. This will be followed by the leveling  of the ground. Soil amelioration will be done using garden soil, compost or coconut coir. Once the site is ready, garden plots will be prepared and the vegetables will be planted.

Proper seed sowing techniques, transplanting, fertilization, pest and disease control and maintenance of vegetable crops will be taught and the residents will be closely supervised.

This project allows small spaces to be utilized for growing small quantities of food crops for family consumption. It also offerrs a small incentive for low income earners who don’t have enough funds to put food on the table.

Some vegetables like petchay, mustasa and kangkong grow very fast and are common ingredients in almost all Filipino dishes. Instead of buying these common vegetables in the market, one can easily harvest them right in his own backyard, where the vegetables he grows areguaranteed to be safe, healthy and pesticide-free.

So, why not grow some of your own vegetables? It’s a worthwhile and interesting challenge, especially for those who have the space and the time to do it.

Written by Justin Merelos

Source: Manila Bulletin