Hesther Bernal’s

METROVERDE FARMS Villa Amelia Subd., Buntatala, Leganes 5003, Iloilo, Philippine Mobile Phone . 09487252190. E-Mail :09487252190 ______________________________________________________________ December 27, 2010 “Our Partnership” Development Report Introduction: METROVERDE FARMS is a research and experimental farms on Integrated Farming, with the end view of gradually practicing Natural or Organic farming. The farm is planned to do studies that would help address the problem of the poor’s food security, look for ways to protect the environment that has now degraded, help con-serve bio-diversity, look for ways to use wind and solar power as energy for farming and help address the problem of climate change by mitigating its effect and adopt processes to minimize its impact specially on food and water needs. With this experi-ments, and demonstration farm, we hope to encourage more people to practice Inte-grated and organic farming. The project is on its 2nd year of research and experiments. The Typhoon Frank whose destructive floods devastated much of Iloilo and Panay, forced us to venture in farming, after all our sources for employment and livelihood, were destroyed by the flood that submerged and destroyed part of our house and office that time. It is also in memory of Hesther, who have registered Metroverde Farms with the Department of Trade and Industry, a government agency, two years before she died. The farming project is a rented 2.8 hectare (28,000 SQ Meters) farm, situated in the east side of a plush subdivision, the Metropolis in Iloilo City. We lease the prop-erty. The farm was not productive for the last 4 years. Grasses and Talahib were tall and took us almost 1/2 years to clear and plant in the farm. The farming concept we practice is Integrated Farming. Intercropping and Crop Rotation, instead of the monocrop system on rice practiced by most farmers in the area. By practicing Integrated farming methods, we make double use or triple use of the same farm lot at one time. The crop rotation method, enable the soil to recover its fertility and help stop the build-up of destructive pests and diseases that usually affect mono- crop system. Through the farm, we are able to put into practice what we taught farmers before –organic or ecological farming – but because we have no farm to demonstrate the idea then, less farmers caught and practiced what we taught before. They found producing compost and organic fertilizers very laborious. It is much easier to buy com-mercial /synthetic fertilizer, as the application is fast and easier despite the high cost. The CPBC Development Ministries also uses the farm as exposure farm for farmers.

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At this point of time – two years of practice – we are practicing half-way (50%) the organic farming method and still uses about 50 percent chemical fertilizer and pesti-cides in our gardens. But in rice, we have not used chemical pesticides during the last 2 years in our 3 cropping. We maximize the use of farm grasses, crops’ by products, rice and corn straws, rice and corn hulls, banana leaves and stalks and animal manure. We compost these materials and are usable as fertilizer after 4 to six months. This year, we were able to buy six (6) kilos earthworms, the kind called African Night Crawler, which we now allow to devour our composts. In 3 months, the composts are transformed into fine Vermicasts, the earthworm excreta, which we now used as fertilizer in our rice field and vegetable garden. But the volume of the organic fertilizer we produce are not yet enough for our need. Hence, we use some commercial fertilizers yet. Preparation Since last year, we prepared for the Integrated Farming System. We planted the boundaries and rice paddies with 1) Madre de cacao and Ipil-Ipil trees – as ingre-dient for our botanical pesticides. 2) We planted also Tanglad , in rice paddies, an-other source of botanical pesticides. Kangkong, banana and gabi-gabi were planted near the fence lines as source of materials for our Fermented Broad Leaf sprays for plant growth and vigor. Ipil-ipil and Madre de Cacao leaves are good organic fertilizer also and we use its leaves as mulch for some of our gardens. The branches provides us with continuous source of firewood for cooking. What we do and accomplished in the Integrated Farm now

We planted 1 1/2 hectare (15,000 SQ M) with rice. We plant rice in 2 crop-

ping a year – from June to September and November to January. We have now success-fully produced rice without using / spraying chemical pesticides. We use 50% organic fertilizer and still 50% commercial/synthetic fertilizer. We hope after 5 years, when we have all the needed organic fertilizer, we would be able to plant and produce rice using only organic fertilizer and when the soil recovers its micro-organisms,.

In ½ portion of the rice field, we plant mongo, a leguminous plant to recover

the nitrogen need of the soil. The other ½ portion of the rice field, we planted with yellow and sweet corn as – yellow corn as feed for animals and the sweet corn for food. After harvesting, we plant mongo in the corn area and corn in the area planted with mongo.

In 500 Square Meters of the farm lot, we built the chicken, ducks house and

pig house and the cottage we use to rest and also slept. In this area we also put a shade, with chairs, where we hold our seminars for the neighbors in the community, some members of people’s organization, ministers and church leaders in the nearby churches and circuits conferences who are getting interested in Integrated and organic farming.

In about 1,000 Square meters lot along the cement fence line of the subdivi-

sion, we planted ipil-ipil trees, bananas and other shade trees. Their are also existing coconuts in the fence lines.

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In this fence line, we built compost bins, where grasses, leaves and trunks of bananas, coconut husks, rice and corn straws and vegetable rejects. When the compost is about 4 months old, we freed earthworm, the African Nightcrawler to feed on the composts. In 3 months, they transform the compost into fine vermicast fertilizers. The ipil-ipil trees, bananas provides the needed shade for our Vermiculture (earthworm) bins.

In a 300 Square Meter lot, we dug two - 1 meter deep fresh water fish ponds.

Here we raise Tilapia fish. We bought the finger for about P 1.50 each and raise it for 4 months. The fish ponds provides us with some fish. The other produce we sell to the market or the neighbor hood.

`About one (1) hectare of the farm, we devote to vegetable gardening. Here we experiments with the planting of different vegetables like .String

beans, Onion leaves, eggplants, cabbage, pechay, hot pepper, okra, calubay, patula, green leafy vegetables as alogbate, camote leaves and mongo. We also plant sweet corn, glutinous corn and yellow corn as well us raising, pigs, native chicken and ducks

Methods: Intercropping, Multi-cropping and crop rotation Our farm experiments and practice uses the Inter-cropping and multi-

cropping and crop rotation methods. With Intercropping and multi-crop system, we plant several crops in the same parcel of land at the same time. For instance, we plant corn, both yellow or sweet corn. After 20 days we plant String Beans under the corn.. The string beans uses the corn as its trellis. Twenty (20) days after we planted the string beans, we plant squash under the corn rows.. When we harvest the corn, the string beans are already blossoming. And about 20 days after the corn were harvested, we start harvesting the string beans. Then the squash start flowering. As the beans are harvested. Because of the nitrogen fixing bacteria in the roots of the string beans, the soil are enriched and new crops, like ampalaya could be planted, while the squash are still bearing fruit. With the multi-cropping system, a small parcel of land owned or leased by the farmer could produce four different crops instead of only one crop in mono-crop system.

Crop rotation is another method we practice as we gradually advance towards

organic farming system. With multi-crop system, we plant different crops in rotation. When we plant and harvest our Onion leaves, we follow this up by planting immedi-ately pechay. Twenty days after broadcasting the pechay seeds, we can have selected harvest of the vegetable. After harvesting pechay, we fertilize the plots with vermicast fertilizer. Then we immediately plant eggplants or pepper – sweet or hot pepper. With this practice, we are able to plant successively in the small parcel of land without losing the soil fertility as it is enriched with crop rotation and buildup of destructive pests and diseases are minimized.

The Pesticides, Fungicide and Foliar Fertilizers we use. At this time, we are half-way in our practice of organic farming. Then,

we have not discovered all needed organic pesticides that could drive away or kill so

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some destructive insects in our vegetable gardens. Our botanical pesticides are made up of pounded leaves of Madre de Cacao, Ipil-Ipil leaves, Tanglad leaves and roots, Tomato leaves, Ginger, garlic and a few litter of gin liquor. We mix this materials with the same weight of molasses or brown sugar. Then we ferment the concoction for 15 to 20 days. We harvest the liquid and use it to spray for different vegetables, rice and corn. We do not spray our rice anymore with chemical pesticides. Our botanical pesticide is effective against different rice pest, ex-cept “rice brown hopper” which we catch with lights with water in the basin below the lights. For Foliar Fertilizers or foliar spray, concocted from plants available in the community. For plant strength, vigor and disease resistance, we con-coct 1) Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ), 2) Fermented Sea Weeds (FSW), 3) Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ) and 4) Compost or Vermicast Teas. We found this home formulated foliar sprays/ foliar fertilizer good for plant growth, flowering and fruiting. Sea weeds are fermented as its extracts are good in enhancing growth of crops. These are rich in micronutrients like iodine, sodium, chloride, magnesium, man-ganese — trace elements that are essential for balance growth of plants. Fermented Fruit Juice and Vermicast teas, are also good plant growth enhancer. These are sprayed on the leaves of plants or on the soil. This help increase the popula-tion of beneficial micro-organisms in the soil- which enable the plants to be resistant to diseases. Animals: Pigs, ducks and chicken as part Integrated & Organic Farming System.

Metroverde Farms put importance to the caring of a few pigs, chicken and ducks as part of the integrated farming. The pigs could provide continuous source of manure and urine to be mixed with grasses and farm residues in making compost fer-tilizer. We put in the pig pen rice hulls and rice straws to catch the manure and urine. Every other day we add a small part of hull and rice straws to cover the manure. After 15 days, we scrap the manure and the urine and place this in the compost bin. Then the rice straw and rice hull are used as mulch in the garden – onion, eggplants, pepper, etc.

The chicken are needed for the meat at eggs they provide the family. Chicken

also control pests and destructive insects in the farm. They pick-up and eat insects as well as weeds in the field. The ducks provide additional income with their eggs. But ducks plays important role in our rice farm. The ducks are freed in the rice fields dur-ing land preparation – from plowing to the final harrowing before transplanting the rice seedlings. The ducks eat the destructive insects and weeds. That’s why organic farm may need always a few pigs, chicken and ducks as part of the system. Other-wise, manure has to be purchased from other sources.

When we would be able to motivate more people, specially farmers and farm work-

ers to use compost fertilizers and natutrally fermented pesticides for the farms, our soil will become more fertile producing more rice and other crops,. Then we will experience more cleaner environment with clean water and air with important micro-organism conserve . With our programs, we hope, we are helping in our small way the effects of climate change.

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Sustainability of the project The projects we undertook are sustainable. The investments on basic

farm machineries, motor engines, deep well, water pumps and small houses for pigs, ducks and chicken are maintained thru the income of the farm. The capitals in produc-tion cost of different crops are deducted before the sharing of the income with partici-pating farmers and gardeners. Then it is used again as production capital for the next crop being planted. Except in major situation like very heavy and devastating flood and long drought, where water sources dried up, our projects will endure. The farmers and gardeners will earn and improve their income. The education, training and expo-sure programs on integrated & organic farming will continue, with participants share in the cost of the studies. Some costs will be subsidized from the income and produce of the farm.

Our Plans for 2011-2012 We hope by 2011-2012, Metroverde Farms will further lower its use of

chemical pesticides in vegetables to 25%, and the use of commercial fertilizer to 15 percent.

We will increase our production of Vermicasts, icomposts and vermi and

compost teas to strengthen our organic farming system. We will also maximize our production of Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ), Fermented Seaweeds (FSW), Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ) and Fermented Fish Amino Acids (FFAA). We have now learned the techniques of producing these materials and hopes to make full use of it this year and next.

We have started using Yellow Boards brushed with oils in our rice and gar-

dens. Yellow colors attracts several kinds of flying insects that bore on rice, cabbage, pechay, onions, etc. We hope to catch flies and minimize infestations in our farms.

Insect attractants are also put in the farm. This are made from plastic contain-

ers, opened on the sides and where vinegar and molasses are placed to attract pests. We will build an elevated water tank, about 14 feet high made of 4 steel

drums with bamboo posts and wood bars for easier watering of the vegetable gardens. We have now the drums and this will be operational by late January to make watering of the vegetable gardens and sweet corn during the dry season more easier.

We plan to build by 2011 a small wind mill, to pump water from our deep

well, to minimize costs for fuel diesel in watering rice, corn and vegetable gardens wne there is no rain.

The educational programs –will be strengthened with more individuals and

groups – church people, pastors, coop leaders and people’s organization members coming to Metroverde Farms for study and exposures. A newly organized and regis-tered farmers and workers association, BUGTAW FARMERS ASSOCAION with some 30 members now is expanding its membership and services in barangays around Iloilo City and the neighboring villages of Leganes and nearby towns. Thru BUGTAW’S Chap-ters in other villages, the training programs of METROVERDE FARM could reach out out further.

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Persons involved as partners in gardening programs: 1. Gil & Rosana Ebrona

Gardener - w/ 3 sons and a 1 year old daughter. They get 2/3 of profits after production cost is deducted. The Caretaker provides his labor in all aspect of the gardening -from land preparation to harvest time. Metroverde Farm gets 1/3 share. For Rice Farming, the Caretaker gets 10% of the harvest.

Onion Leaves : 3 croppings: (Jan. –March, April –June & Aug.Oct 2010) Total Income for three cropping in 2010 - P128,000

Gardeneer Gil & Rosana Ebrona Share 2/3 Profit P47,332 Metroverde Farms share 1/3 of Profit P 23,666 Note: The production capital are used again as capital for succeeding crops.

Rosana Ebrona and Gil tending their pechay and onion vegetables with their daughter.

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Gil Ebrona harvesting rice. He gets 10% income from gross harvest of 1 hectare field by caring for the rice—fertilizing, spraying with organic pesti-

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2. Gardener Botsok & Marites Rivera ( with three daughters and 6 sonMarites Rivera on her vegetable garden Camote leaves on the side of the plots. Inside the plots she is planting Hot Pepper. She harvest the camote leaves every 3 days while waiting for the fruiting of their hot pepper.

s one daughter w/ famiy)

Marites Rivera on her vegetable garden Camote leaves on the side of the plots. Inside the plots she is planting Hot Pepper. She harvest the camote leaves every 3 days while waiting for the fruiting of their hot pepper.

Jomer Rivera is helping in their pechay & cabbage gar-dens. He is the 4th of the 11 children of the family. He had stopped schooling. He is First Year High School.. He hope to continue his studies next year. During days he is not working in their garden, he work as farm worker at Metroverde Farms—land preparation, planting seeds or seedlings, fertilizing, weeding, etc. to earn income for some rice need of the family.

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3. Leonardo and Sally Gallo (with two sons and a daughter, one son in college) He farms 1 hectare also and do car-pentry works and other labor in the farm/

Leonardo Gallo working on the water dropin the farm to control water. He could do carpentry works, electrical re-pairs and cementing works. He is Care-taker for the 1 hectare rice field and of the vegetable farms.

Harvesting rice in the farm last November 7, 2010.

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Carrying the rice thresser to the rice paddy where rice will be thressed. Six workers thressed the palay. They get 1 sack for every six sack trhessed. The owner of the thresser gets1/2 of the share. While the har-vesters get also 1 sack for every 6 sacks harvested.

Rice thresser at work. A worker feds rice with stalksto the thresser’s grindingteeth. Rice straws fl;ies up the field—later used as mulch in vegetable gar-dens.

The thersing group now about to fin-ish their task. Some of them are ready-ing to carry the rice sack to the road.They are also paid P 10. for every sack.

Leonardo Gallo leds and coordinates threshing of rice

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Mary Jean Dador & Omie Dador ( Family with three daughters and a son. The husband works in a feed factory)

MaryJean cultivates her plots. She plants green leafy vegetables -pechay, alogbate, camote tops and saluyot. She waters her garden, carrying two cans of water on her shoulder like men gardeners too. She got married in Min-danao. But they decided to go back to Iloilo when war between he Moro Islamic Liberation Front and gov-ernment forces intensified. She will not go back to Min-danao anymore. When she is not busy in her gardens, she works also at Metro-verde Farms for P200 a day.

Jomar Ebrona – Single Green Leafy Vegetables: Pechay, Alogbate, Camote leaves, Eggplants

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. Dolfus Riche Bernal ( 20 Ducks, 20 Native Chicken, 4 pigsm Fresh Tilapia Fish, Eggplants and Hot Pepper )

Pigs are raised under “No Wash “ pig technology. Pig pens has hole of about 2 feet beddings made of equal part of rush hulls, sawdust, sand & soil with 3 kilos of salt with cement feeder and waterer. The pig stay in the pig pen for about 4 months until slaugh-tered. A combined filler is added every 2 weeks. The fillers catches the manure and urine of the pigs which is rich nitrogen compost fertilizer. The

and good compost fertilizer. Pigs are resistant to diseases as it is raised on seemingly natu-ral surroundings where it can bore and borrow on the soil filler and eat soil micro-nutrients. Pigs are feed with home formulated feeds, with green leafy vegetables without growth hor-mones and anti-biotic and good for man’s health. After 4 months, the filler are taken and mixed with other composts in vermi bins. Fillers are put in the pigpens and another batch of piglets are raised. Raised this way, pigmea t are sold at P10. more per kilo than pigs feed with conventional/commercial feeds with much growth hormones and anti-biotec. The pig pens do not have fowl odor as in traditional per pings. Home formulated Lactovacilli con-

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8. Rudy Bernal Farming/Gardening

Relay planting of corn :–while one area is newly planted in another area—the corn is blos-soming and in the other area, corn is ready for harvest.

If we succeed to moti-vate farmers to plant crops in relay and multi-crop, our experi-ments may help solve the problem lack of food among farmers in the countryside.,

Weeding his Onion plots. Rudy works only from 6:00 A.M. to 8:30 AM in his gardens while the heat is not yet harsh. Then he works in his office, also at PACA,, CPBC & Benhi Cooperative. He is orga-nizing the CPBC Senior Citizens Association of the Philippines.. He has started a small congrega-tion in the city that met at 3:00 PM Sundays. They have already organized and registered with De-partment of Labor the Bugtaw Farmers Asso-ciation made up of gar-deners around Metro-

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Rudy’s Kalubay *gourge” garden. A pro-lific plant, he gathers some 10 to 15 fruits every three days, from 15 plants. He sells this at P10. per kilo—a fruit often is 2 to 3 kilos. From the vegetables he gets some amount for transportation and some school expenses of his 3 boys still in college.

Eggplants too, are good income giver.

Papaya planted at the filled-up portion of the Tila-pia fish pond, is a heavy fruit bearer. The unripe fruits are sole at P10. per kilo. The ripe is used at home and as dessert when some visitors come for study and exposure. He encourages and teaches Senior Citizens and other urban dwellers to plant papaya near their home for fruits.

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Rudy checking the earthworms in the compost bins. He makes sure the bins are moist and no ants and frogs around to eat the earthworms.

Plastic nets or bamboo slots has to be in placed always over the com-post bins to prevent chicken from catching the worms. The bins are placed under newly planted ba-nanas to provide shades. Bananas grow vigorously and bear fruits in just 1 year to 14 months time, planted near the earthworm bins.

These are now the compost fertilizer we produced in the farm. Some are pig ma-nure, chicken dungs and rotten vegeta-ble and grasses. Some are Vermicasts—excreta of earthworms. Now we have a small “fertilizer factory” with vermis or earthworms, as our living machines.

A worker, Ronnie Janas carrying com-post fertilizer and vermicasts to be incor-porated as basal in the rice fields. He also puts Vermicasts as basal in every hole we planted with eggplants, banana toma-toes, patola , ampalaya and kalubay.

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People who work, involved, learn and who benefits in the farms as farm workers: - performing task as Land preparation, plot making, planting rice, planting seeds, planting Onion seedlings, fertilizing, weeding, harvesting, all part time/ daily basis:: Genaline Arguelles – weeding, planting seedlings and seedlings Maritess Rivera – weeding, planting seeds and seedlings Leoanrdo Gallo – carpentry, watchman and caretaker, electrical works

planter, harvester, selling Jomarie Rivera – plot making Jomer Rivera – plot making, land clearing, planting seedlings Monjon Rivera – plot making, Ronnie Janas – plot making, compost distribution in the fields, banana

planting Mary Jean Dador – planting, weeding Frank Arguelles – Operating the grass cutter for compost making Gil Ebrona – Plot making, watering, seedling preparations Rosana Ebrona – Planting onion seedlings, weeding Jamar Ebrona Plot making, banana planting, etc. Noel Jaylone –Mechanical works

Botsok Rivera – Land preparation, welding works, repairs of hand tractor, etc. Excelsis Bernal – Student, vermi culture caring, composting Dolfus Ritche Bernal – Musician— care of chicken and ducks, vermin cul-

ture care, composting, fresh water fish pond. Rod Chester Bernal –Theology student, Computer technician, in-charge

vegetable market development, layout and printing of educational materials RH Moses Bernal – New college graduate/Management Accounting, Call

Center. He is Incharge of recording and bookkeeping Gringo Gallo – Electronic Student – planting, weeding, electrical works

Marketing alliances: Ronie Bernal & Joselyn Bernal Juanito Ebrona Isidro Parennas