re baseline study

8/12/2019 RE Baseline Study

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Baseline Study for the Integration of Renewable Energy to

Livelihood Projects in Selected Municipalities in Sultan Kudarat,

SOCCSKSARGEN Region, Philippines

Prepared for Oxfam-Philippines

By

Center for Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technologies

Ateneo de Davao University


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Table of Contents

1. Introduction 6

2. Methodology 7

2.1. Data-gathering 7

2.1.1. Household Survey 7

2.1.2. Livelihood Survey 9

2.1.3. Key Informant Interview 9

2.1.4. Focus Group Discussion 9

2.1.5. Ocular Survey of Potential RE Sources 10

2.2. Locale of the Study 10

2.2.1. Columbio 10

2.2.2. Esperanza 11

3. Findings and Discussions 13

3.1. Respondents 13

3.2. Commodities and Livelihood 14

3.3. Secondary Crops 163.4. Organic Production 17

3.5. Energy Requirements in the Rice and Corn Value Chain 18

3.5.1. Petroluem Fuels 21

3.5.2. Land Preparation 23

3.5.3. Post-Harvest 25

3.5.4. Drying 28

3.5.5. Milling 28

3.6. Other Power Requirements in the Community 30

3.7. Renewable Energy Aspirations 34

3.8. Women and Renewable Energy 34

3.9. Renewable Energy Potentials 35

3.9.1. Solar Energy 35


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3.9.2. Hydro-electric Energy 37

3.9.3. Wind Energy 40

3.10. Bio-fuels 40

4. Conclusions and Recommendations 41

4.1. Natural Fuels for Mobile Machineries 41

4.2. Solar and Hydro-electric for Stationary Facilities 44

4.3. Multi-Crop Renewable Energy Facilities 45

BIBLIOGRAPHY 46


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Figure 1. Location Map of Region 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN)


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Figure 2. Map of Sultan Kudarat


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Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

This baseline study is undertaken by the Center for Renewable Energy

and Appropriate Technologies (CREATE), a unit of the Ateneo de Davao

University that advocates for and develop technologies that promote renewable

energy, with the support of Oxfam International.

Oxfams partner communities in the Municipalities of Esperanza and

Columbio are mainly farming communities producing Rice and Corn as the main

crops. Oxfam and its partner NGO, the Rural Development Institute of Sultan

Kudarat (RDISK) is working with these communities to build resilient farming

communities in the light of many threats posed by changes in global and local

climatic conditions.

Oxfam has identified the use of renewable energy as one of the

adaptation and mitigating measures in the bid to combat the threats that comewith climate change. Along this line, this particular study aims to:

1. Determine the energy requirements of the community to sustain their

livelihood projects;

2. Identify existing and potential sources of renewable energy as alternative

to conventional source of energy; and

3. Formulate recommendations on appropriate renewable energy technology

that could be installed to enhance productivity and sustainability of the

livelihood projects.


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Chapter 2

METHODOLOGY

The study will seek to answer the question: What is the livelihood best

fit for renewable energy support?

2.1. Data Gathering

To answer this question, the following activities were conducted to help

answer the inquiries presented by the study:

2.1.1. Household Survey

The household survey is conducted to determine the energy use and

requirements of the general populace in the selected barangays. Information

gathered from this survey backs up the information that was derived from the

livelihood survey conducted.

A combination of purposive and random sampling technique is used in this

study. The first step undertaken was to get the names of the barangays covered

in the BINDS project of Oxfam in the province of Sultan Kudarat. From the list,

the barangays were grouped according to the primary commodity that is

produced by partners in the said barangays. There were two major crops

identified, Rice and Corn. Five (5) barangays from the rice group and 5

barangays from the corn group were selected randomly. Since there are only

three barangays in Esperanza, all three were automatically included in the list.


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Secondly, the population of households in the selected barangays was

gathered. From this information, a sample group was derived using the Slovins

Formula, with an error margin of 0.15.

()

Table 1. Respondents, Population vs. Sample, Esperanza

Barangay Ni ni

Ilian 707 42

Numo 518 41

Pamantingan 881 42

Total 2,106 125

Table 2. Number of Respondents, Population vs. Sample, Columbio

Barangay Ni ni

Bantangan 360 40

Eday 187 36

Libertad 453 40

Maligaya 292 39

Natividad 199 36

Sinapulan 486 41

Telafas 756 42

Total 2,733 274

A total of 181 households were interviewed for the municipality of

Esperanza and 274 for the Municipality of Columbio in the actual survey

conducted.


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2.1.2. Livelihood Survey

A livelihood survey was conducted to determine the major livelihood that

supports the communities under the BINDS project.

The purposive sampling technique was used to determine the

respondents for the livelihood survey. Subjects of the survey are chosen from

among the partner households of Oxfam in the community

There are a total of 159 respondents in Columbio and 41 respondents in

Esperanza for the livelihood survey.

2.1.3. Key Informant Interview

Key Informant interviews were conducted to verify secondary information

gathered, data gathered from the surveys, as well as identify potential sources of

renewable energy in the area. Key informants were selected from the pool ofleaders in each barangay.

2.1.4. Focus-Group Discussion

Commodity-based FGDs were conducted for the following commodities:

Esperanza Colombio

Rice X X

Corn X X

Coffee X

Cassava X

Coconut X X


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During the FGDs, the activities in the commodity value chains as well as

the potentials and challenges relating to the use of energy were discussed. An

FGD for women participants were also conducted for each municipality to surface

gender-specific concerns.

2.1.5. Ocular Survey of Potential Renewable Energy Sources

A site visit was conducted by a technical team to gather the following

information: (i) potential solar field area, (ii) river water flows, gross head and

river cross-sectional area, and (iii) wind speed.

2.2. Locale of the Study

2.2.1. Columbio

Columbio is located in the southernmost part of the province of Sultan

Kudarat, bordering the provinces of South Cotabato, Maguindanao and Davao

del Sur. A big portion of the populace is of Maguindanao ethnic origin, thoughLumads and Christian Settlers also make up a portion of the total population.

Projected population for 2013 is 27,848, mostly concentrated at Barangay

Poblacion, followed by Barangay Telafas and Datalblao (Municipality of

Columbio, 2010). Major products include Rice, Corn and the recently introduced

Oil Palm. Partners of Oxfam in this municipality are scattered in all of its 16

barangays.


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The study is conducted in seven (7) of the 16 barangays of Columbio. The

table below shows the research areas and their household populations:

Table 3: Population, Household Population and Area per Barangay,

Columbio, Year 2012

Barangay Population Household

Population

Area, (has)

Bantangan 1,486 360 4,601.91

Eday 989 187 1,397.08

Libertad 2,066 453 2,148.94

Maligaya 2,360 292 3,592.71

Natividad 895 199 2,056.47

Sinapulan 2,864 486 20,345.10

Telafas 2,966 756 3,367.94

RDISK, Oxfams local partner has projects in all barangays in the

municipality. However, since demographic characteristics and livelihood profiles

of the barangays are deemed similar, the seven barangays that were purposely

selected because of the big number of Oxfam partners in the area to be the

subject of the study, is deemed sufficient to give a clear picture on the livelihood

and renewable energy situation in the locale.

2.2.2. Esperanza

The municipality of Esperanza is a first-class municipality in the provinceof Sultan Kudarat with a total land area of 35,620 hectares. Total population

stands at 57,247 in 2012 and is a mix of the tri-peoples of Mindanao: the Moros,

the IPs and the Christian Settlers. Oxfam partners are concentrated in three

barangays namely Ilian, Pamantingan and Numo. Barangay Numo has a majority

population of Christian Settlers. Pamantingan is predominantly an IP community.


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However, partners of Oxfam in this barangay come from the Christian settler

segment of the population. Barangay Ilian is a predominantly Moro community

and most of the Oxfam partners in the area are Moro. All three of these

barangays are part of this baseline study.

Table 4: Population, Household Population and Area per Barangay,

Esperanza, Year 2012

Barangay Population Household

Population

Area (Has.)

Ilian 3,065 707 515

Numo 2,558 518 No data available

Pamantingan 4,407 881 3,384


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Chapter 3

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

3.1. Respondents

There are a total of 181 respondents for the household survey in the

municipality of Esperanza, as shown in the table below:

Table 5. Household Survey Respondents, Esperanza

Bargangays Numo Ilian Pamantingan

No. of respondents 70 64 47

% Men 45.7 90.6 36.2

% Women 54.3 9.4 63.8

% IPs 11.4 1.6 72.1

Tribe(s) Blaan Tiruray Tiruray

Tiruray Tboli

Both women and men members of the household were considered for the

interview. Indigenous Peoples were also among of the respondents. In Barangay

Pamantingan, where majority of the residents are Indigenous Peoples (IP), 72%

of the respondents are IPs of the Tiruray and Tboli tribes.

In Columbio, there are 274 respondents which is a mix of Moro, Settler

and IP households.


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Table 6. Household Survey Respondents, Columbio

Barangays Eday Maligaya Telafas Bantangan Libertad Natividad Sinapulan

No. of

respondents

40 40 40 35 41 38 40

% Men 30.0 88.9 35.0 17.1 62.5 71.1 80.0

% Women 70.0 11.1 65.0 82.9 37.5 28.9 20.0

% IPs 97.5 48.1 10.0 42.9 32.5 92.1 72.5

Tribe(s) Blaan Blaan Blaan

Tboli

Blaan Blaan Blaan Blaan

3.2. Commodities and Livelihood

In all ten barangays subject to the study, 80 100 percent of the

households are dependent on farming as their main livelihood, with barangays

Eday and Maligaya in Columbio registering a 100% dependence on farming. In

the rest of the barangays, non-farming households are involved in employment to

government and private organizations, carpentry and masonry, and micro-scale

businesses, among others.

The total land area planted to agricultural crops for the whole municipality

of Columbio is around 8,946.75 hectares. Corn production has the largest area

which is approximately 4,442 hectares, producing approximately 26,650 metric

tons of corn per annum, according to the local government unit data. Rice comes

a close second with 3,762 hectares devoted to rice production with an annual

production of 15,049 metric tons (Municipality of Columbio, 2010).

In the barangays that are subject of the study, corn and rice are the main

crops produced by the farming households. The table below shows that rice and

corn farms in Columbio produce an average of 4.0 MT per cropping, in

consonance with the national average. Currently, farmers who participated in the


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focus group discussions reported harvests of approximately 5.0 MT per hectare.

The improvements are attributed to the increased coverage of irrigated areas,

better access to technologies and improved knowledge on farming.

Table 7: Palay and Corn, Area and Production Volume, Columbio, Year

2009

Barangay Palay Corn

Area (Has.) Produce (MT

per cropping)

Area (Has.) Produce (MT

per cropping)

Bantangan 117 468 200 980

Eday 70.5 276.75 156 764

Libertad 525 2,100 325 1,595

Maligaya 332 1,326.5 181 886

Natividad 289 1,041 358 1,754.2

Sinapulan 52.75 175 259 1,269

Telafas 537 2,148 150 735

Total 2,102.25 Has. 7,780.75 MT 1,680 Has. 8,233.1 MT

Source: Municipal Agriculture Office

In Esperanza, rice production is also the main source of livelihood of the

farming community. The municipality has a 6,303 hectares devoted to rice

production accounting for 47% of the agricultural lands. Corn production is also

considerably widespread with 2,455 hectares of farm lands, or 20% of the total

agricultural area in the municipality.

In the three barangays that are subject to the study, rice is the main crop

produced by farmers. Numo has 353 hectares of ricelands and is the major

source of livelihood for most of the populace. Pamantingan has 145 hectares,

while Ilian has 90 hectares. Oxfam partners in these three barangays are all rice

farmers tilling a total of 221 hectares.


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Table 8: Rice Area and Production, Esperanza, Year 2012

Barangay Area (Hectares) Production (MT per

cropping)

Ilian 90 297.5

Numo 353 1,200

Pamantingan 145 487

Total 588 Has. 1,984.5 MT

Source: Municipal Agriculture Office

3.3. Secondary Crops

Because of the intervention of many development organizations, among

them, the Rural Development Institute of Sultan Kudarat (RDISK), many farmers

have turned to diversification by planting other crops such as cassava, banana,

coconut and abaca. These crops provide a second source of income for corn and

rice farmers in Columbio. They also serve as buffer crops in the event of failure inthe production of the main crop. However, it can be noted that planting of most of

these crops began only in 2009 and most are not yet ripe for production. These

are also grown on a small scale and are considered only as secondary source of

family income locally termed as sideline, with the exception of cassava.

However, these crops have the potential for large-scale production.

Table 9: Main Crops and Secondary Crops per Barangay

Barangay Main Crop Secondary Crops

Columbio

Bantangan Rice, Corn Coconut, Rubber

Eday Corn, Rice Banana, Coconut


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Libertad Rice Banana, Coconut

Makat Corn Banana, Coconut

Maligaya Rice Corn, Rubber

Natividad Rice, Cassava Banana

Sinapulan Corn Banana

Telafas Corn, Rice Banana, Cassava

Esperanza

Ilian Rice, Corn Coconut

Numo Rice, Corn Banana, Coconut

Pamantingan Rice, Corn Banana, Coconut

*Main Cropproduced as the primary source of family income

**Secondary Cropsplanted as buffer crops alongside the main crop

The expansion of areas planted to oil palm is also noted in the municipality

of Columbio in the recent years. However, the potential is only location-specific in

two barangays unlike Rice and Corn where production is suitable in all areas

within the municipality.

3.4. Organic Production

The Local Government Unit of Columbios current thrust is towards the

production of chemical free and organic products in the municipality. It has also

identified Rice as the flagship for organic production. To date, there are no

available data on the production of oganic rice in the municipality. RDISK, one of

the service providers assisting farmers in the production of organic rice reported

56.5 has. planted to organic rice, with an annual yield of 226 MT. These farming

households are all partners of RDISK and Oxfam.


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The municipality of Esperanza also has a Healthy Lifestyle program that

encourages the consumption of, among many, organic products among its

populace. This gives local farmers in the area the motivation to shift to organic

production of rice. In the three barangays that are subject of the study, RDISK

partners have a total of 221 hectares of land planted to rice. However, at this

point, as farmers are still learning about organic rice farming, only 4.5 hectares is

able to produce organic rice for the year 2013. RDISK claims that the current

demand for organic rice in the country far exceeds production and therefore,

incentives for expansion abound.

Corn is also produced in vast quantities in the two municipalities. These

farms feed the mills in the nearby province of South Cotabato that process them

to animal feeds. Being primarily produced not for human consumption, current

local and international demand does not specify that corn has to be chemical

free. Thus, organic production of corn is not undertaken in the area.

3.5. Energy Requirements in the Rice and Corn Value Chain

The stages in production of Rice and Corn are categorized by farmers

according to:

1. Land preparation

2. Planting

3. Maintenance

4. Harvest

5. Post-harvest

Both women and men take an active role in the whole production process

and decision-making is shared by the male and female heads of each household.

Children also take part in certain activities as additional workers.


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Farmers in the two municipalities sell their produce as dried/semi-dried

palay and/or shelled corn. Thus, the participation of the farming communities in

the value chain ends after drying of these commodities, or after harvest in areas

where no drying facilities are available. Post-harvest and other value-adding

activities are carried on at the commercial and industrial centers kilometers away

from the farm lands. They are being operated by micro and small scale

enterprises owned by local traders.

In Columbio, there are fifteen (15) rice mills in the municipality and are

mostly situated in the the town center. Farmers sell wet/semi-dried/dried palay at

the buying stations in the barangay centers operated by consolidators. These are

then sold to palay traders who process these to produce rice. Corn, on the other

hand, is sold to traders in the municipality who consolidate and deliver the

produce to feed mills.

Table 10: Production Activities and Machineries Requiring Energy

Activities Machineries, type and fuel

used

Access and Control

Land

Preparation

Tractor with

Disc Plow

Diesel,

Gasoline

Rented, Privately owned by

enterprising

farmers/traders/business

entities

Hand tractors

with plow

(Turtle)

Diesel,

Gasoline


enterprising


entities

Maintenance Sprayer Manual

Harvest None Manual

Post-harvest Thresher Diesel, Rented, Privately owned by


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Gasoline enterprising


entities

Sheller Diesel,

Gasoline


enterprising


entities

Dryer Solar heat Public facility (free) and/or

rented, Privately owned by

enterprising


entities

Mill Diesel, Grid-

supplied

electricity

Privately owned by enterprising


entities

Others Dryer

(Mechanical)

Diesel, Grid-

supplied

electricity

Not available in the locality

Harvester Diesel Not available in the locality

Shredder (for

organic fertilizer

production)

Diesel, Grid-

supplied

electricity

Not available in the locality

Owing to high cost in purchasing these equipments, majority of the

farmers themselves do not own these and have to rent from local businessowners and enterprising farmers during the planting and harvest seasons.

Stationary facilities such as rice and corn mills are also owned by traders

and businessman that usually operate in the town center.


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3.5.1. Petroleum Fuels

Petroleum fuel engines have replaced the Carabao and other farm

animals as the main prime mover for land preparation activities. Tractors with

disc plows are used to prepare corn farms for planting and hand tractors are

used in the rice farms. These machineries are fuelled by petroleum that have to

be brought in from outside of the farms.

The mechanization of the agriculture production processes has been

brought largely by the desire to achieve better efficiencies in farming. A 1980

study by Maranan showed that the use of mechanized plows reduces family

labor time by 76% and hired labor time by 85% (Maranan, 1985). This

encourages farmers to shift to the use of machines for their farm activities. This

reduces the number of workforce needed to be involved in the farms thus freeing

other members of th ehousehold to pursue other activities. In the same study, it

was concluded that mechanization of land tilling activities increase the economic

viability of lowland rice farming as compared to using draft animals.

Today, the time factor is very important in irrigated rice areas where

synchronous planting is practiced. Farmers need to finish land preparation in

time to catch-up with the availability of irrigation water needed for the

transplanting phase. Mechanizing the land preparation activities is already a

necessity in the area, lest you get left behind and bereft of needed water for the

early stages of plant development.

These factors combine to the obsolesence of the carabao and other draft

animals for land preparation. Although it can be noted that some farmers still

maintain at least one carabao or horse for other activities in the farm, especially

hauling.


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The introduction of organic farming in the project areas may pave the way

for the resurgence of the use of Carabao for farm activities. A study by

Bachmann, Cruzada and Wright, quotes an organic farmer saying:

Ownership of a Carabao is a symbol of being an MASIPAG1farmer. It is

a source of manure. The uses are also economic: gasoline is expensive. A

carabao is the cheapest energy in town, and carabaos reproduce. It is a

source of income when hired by others for farm work and becomes a

reserve fund in case of emergency.(Bachman, Cruzada, & Wright, 2009)

Aside from being a work animal, farmers also see the carabao as a source

of manure, which can be used as natural fertilizer, as a source of secondary

income and an asset that can be used in the event of emergencies.

However, getting back to the golden age of carabao use for an array of

farm activities migh tbe a long shot. There is even the possibility that this will

never materialize.

In the meantime, petroleum fuels reign and are the first link of the

business of rice and corn farming in Columbio and Esperanza to the global

production system. Fuels have to be imported from outside the country,

deposited in depots in the City of General Santos, which is approximately 89 and

108 kms. away from the town centers of the municipalities of Columbio and

Esperanza, respectively, and transported to gasoline retail stations in the

municipalities. To get to the farms, the fuel is usually transported using plastic

containers and carried aboard motorbikes locally known as habal-habal. The

very long supply chain to get these energy resources to the farms impacts on its

1MASIPAG is an acronym for Magsasaka at Siyentipiko Para sa Ikauunlad ng Agrikultura (Farmers and

Scientists for the Advancement of Agriculture). It is a group that espouses organic farming along with

beneficial traditional and cultural practices in agriculture.


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cost. The amount spent on petroleum fuels alone for the different farm activities

in the production process is in fact, staggering.

3.5.2. Land Preparation

Farmers estimate that a tractor attached with a disc plow consumes 28

liters of diesel or gasoline fuel for every hectare prepared for preparing the corn

farm for planting. Thus, for the whole municipality of Columbio having a total corn

area of 4,442 hectares, and producing twice every year, total petroleum fuel

consumption per year can be estimated at 248,752 liters or Php 11,193,840.00

worth of fuel assuming a Php 45/liter average cost. And with the ever-increasing

cost of fuel, this amount could double in two years time.

Table 11: Fuel Consumption for Land Preparation per cropping per

barangay, Corn

Barangay Corn

Area (Has.) Fuel Consumption

(Liters)

Amount (at Php

45/liter)Bantangan 200 5,600 252,000.00

Datalblao 1,000 28,000 1,260,000.00

Eday 156 4,368 196,560.00

Elbebe/Bunawan 200 5,600 252,000.00

Lasak 529 14,812 666,540.00

Libertad 325 9,100 409,500.00

Lomoyan 155 4,340 195,300.00Makat 51 1,428 64,260.00

Maligaya 181 5,068 228,060.00

Mayo 344 9,632 433,440.00

Natividad 358 10,024 451,080.00


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Poblacion 85 2,380 107,100.00

Polomolok 194 5,432 244,440.00

Sinapulan 259 7,252 326,340.00

Sucob 255 7,140 321,300.00

Telafas 150 4,200 189,000.00

Total 4,442 124,376 Php 5,596,920.00

@ 2 times per

year

4,442 248,752 Php 11,193,840.00

For rice lands preparation, farmers estimate that a triple pass plowing

activity will consume around 24 liters of fuel for every hectare. The 3,761

hectares of rice lands in Columbio require 180,528 liters per year and is

equivalent to Php 8,123,760.00. Whereas, in the three barangays of Esperanza,

the 588 hectares of rice lands would need around 28,224 liters of fuel per year

amounting to Php 1,270,080.00. In some instances, when economic restrictions

are present, farmers would opt to undertake only one to two passes, thereby

affecting the quality of land where the rice can grow from, and eventually

decreasing productivity.

Table 12: Fuel Consumption for Land Preparation per cropping per barangay, Rice

Barangay Rice

Area (Has.) Fuel Consumption

(Liters)

Amount (Php)

Columbio

Bantangan 117 2,808 126,360.00Datalblao 150 3,600 162,000.00

Eday 70 1,680 75,600.00

Elbebe/Bunawan 25 600 27,000.00

Lasak 101 2,424 109,080.00


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Libertad 525 12,600 567,000.00

Lomoyan 67 1,608 72,360.00

Makat 174 4,176 187,920.00

Maligaya 329 7,896 355,320.00

Mayo 235 5,640 253,800.00

Natividad 259 6,216 279,720.00

Poblacion 942 22,608 1,017,360.00

Polomolok 26 624 28,080.00

Sinapulan 52.75 1,266 56,970.00

Sucob 64 1,536 69,120.00

Telafas 537 12,888 579,960.00

Esperanza

Ilian 90 2,160 97,200.00

Numo 353 8,472 381,240.00

Pamantingan 145 3,480 156,600.00

Total 4,261.75 102,282 Php 4,602,690.00

@2 croppings per

year

4,261.75 204,546 Php 9,205,380.00

3.5.3. PostHarvest Activities

The next stage that requires mechanized tools are the post-harvest

activities. At the farm level, this involves the thresher for palay and sheller for

corn. Currently, these machineries are designed as mobile equipments that can

be brought to each farm during harvest and is powered by a diesel or gasoline

engine. Use of this post-harvest equipments add to the petroluem fuel

consumption in the locality.


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Threshers are used to separate palay from the stalks. For every ton of

palay, thresher operators estimate that 0.50 liter of petroleum is consumed.

Using the same assumptions to petroleum price as above, this stage of

production is expected to consume 17,049 liters or Php 767,160.00 amount of

fuel in Columbio and Esperanza each year.

Table 13: Fuel Consumption for Threshing per cropping per barangay, Rice

Barangay Rice

Yield (Kgs.) Fuel

Consumption

(Liters)

Amount (Php)

Columbio

Bantangan 468 234 10,530.00

Datalblao 600 300 13,500.00

Eday 280 140 6,300.00


Lasak 404 202 9,090.00

Libertad 2,100 1,050 47,250.00

Lomoyan 268 134 6,030.00

Makat 696 348 15,660.00

Maligaya 1,316 658 29,610.00

Mayo 940 470 21,150.00

Natividad 1,036 518 23,310.00

Poblacion 3,768 1,884 84,780.00

Polomolok 104 52 2,340.00

Sinapulan 211 106 4,747.50

Sucob 256 128 5,760.00

Telafas 2,148 1,074 48,330.00


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Esperanza

Ilian 360 180 8,100.00

Numo 1,412 706 31,770.00

Pamantingan 580 290 13,050.00

Total 17,047 8,524 383,580.00

@2

croppings/year

17,047 767,160.00

Its counterpart in Corn production is the Corn sheller. This is used to

separate the corn grains from the cob. Similar to palay, a sheller also consumes

0.50 liter for every ton of produce. Total fuel consumption in Columbio for corn

processing at this stage is approximately 17,768 liters or Php 799,560.00.

Table 14: Fuel Consumption for Shelling per cropping per barangay, Corn

Barangay Corn

Yield (MT Per

Cropping)

Fuel Consumption

(Liters)

Amount (Php)

Bantangan 800 400 18,000.00

Datalblao 4,000 2,000 90,000.00

Eday 624 312 14,040.00


Lasak 2,116 1,058 47,610.00

Libertad 1,300 650 29,250.00

Lomoyan 620 310 13,950.00

Makat 204 102 4,590.00Maligaya 724 362 16,290.00

Mayo 1,376 688 30,960.00

Natividad 1,432 716 32,220.00

Poblacion 340 170 7,650.00


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Polomolok 776 388 17,460.00

Sinapulan 1,036 518 23,310.00

Sucob 1,020 510 22,950.00

Telafas 600 300 13,500.00

Total 17,768 8,884 399,780.00

@ 2 croppings

per year

17,768 799,560.00

3.5.4. Drying

Farmers in the municipality utilizes heat from the sun for drying their palay

and corn produce. The process involves drying of rice and corn under direct

sunlight in an open concrete field built for such purpose known as solar dryer.

Drying requires at least 8 hours of direct exposure during sunny days. However,

during the rainy season, farmers often encounter problems in drying. The delays

caused by rains affect the quality and selling price of the product. Big farmers

and traders resort to mechanical drying whenever rains are heavy. However, in

the farms, there are no mechanical drying facilities available. A mechanical dryer

is quite expensive and is beyond the reach of the farmers. Nevertheless, farmers

in the area has expressed that the availaibility of such facility would be a big help

to them.

3.5.5. Milling

Next to drying, palay and corn are milled to produce rice or animal feeds.

This involves small to medium milling facilities for rice, and big, industrial facilities

in the case of feed mills. A rice mill with a medium-scale efficiency (60%) and

runs on a 24 HP Diesel Engine is estimated to consume 4.6 Liters for every ton

of palay processed.


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Table 15: Fuel Consumption for Milling per cropping per barangay, Rice

Barangay Rice

Yield (MT per

cropping)

Fuel

Consumption

(Liters)

Amount (Php)

Columbio

Bantangan 468 2,153 96,876.00

Datalblao 600 2,760 124,200.00

Eday 280 1,288 57,960.00


Lasak 404 1,858 83,628.00

Libertad 2,100 9,660 434,700.00

Lomoyan 268 1,233 55,476.00

Makat 696 3,202 144,072.00

Maligaya 1,316 6,054 272,412.00

Mayo 940 4,324 194,580.00

Natividad 1,036 4,766 214,452.00

Poblacion 3,768 17,333 779,976.00

Polomolok 104 478 21,528.00

Sinapulan 211 971 43,677.00

Sucob 256 1,178 52,992.00

Telafas 2,148 9,881 444,636.00

Esperanza

Ilian 360 1,656 74,520.00

Numo 1,412 6,495 292,284.00

Pamantingan 580 2,668 120,060.00

Total 17,047 78,416 3,528,729.00

@2 croppings/yr 156,832 7,057,458.00


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As with the other stages of production, the associated cost is very high.

The fuel requirement is 16,832 liters or Php 7,057,458.00 per year.

On the whole, the conventional sources of energy fuel the rice and corn

production system in the area. And a big amount of financial resources is poured

into these mostly-petroleum-fuelled processes. Given the computations above, a

staggering amount of Php 11,993,400.00 and Php 17,029,998.00 is involved in

the whole production process for corn and rice, respectively.

To date, except for the electric grid that is powered by a combination of

conventional and renewable energy sources, there are no renewable energy

facilities that serve the rice and corn production chain.

3.6. Other Power Requirements in the Community

Households in the area rely on various sources of energy for their daily

activities. Among those that require energy are cooking and night lighting. In bothmunicipalities, cooking is the top, household activity that involves the use of

fuels.

Table 16. Ranking of Household Activities Involving Energy, Esperanza

Rank Brgy. Numo Brgy. Ilian Brgy. Pamantingan

1 Cooking Cooking Cooking

2 Home Cooling

(electric fan)

Recreation (TV) n/a

3 Ironing Clothes Home Cooling n/a

4 Food & Beverage

Preservation

Food & Beverage

Preservation

n/a


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(Refrigerator) (Refrigerator)

5 Recreation (TV) Studying, Reading,

etc.

n/a

Table 17. Ranking of Household Activities Involving Energy, Columbio

Rank Eday Maligay

a

Telafas Bantangan Libertad Natividad Sinapu

lan

1 Cooking Cooking Cooking Cooking Cooking Cooking Cookin

g

2Recreatio

n (TV)

Recreatio

n (TV)

Recreation/TV Recreation/

TV

Recreation/

TV

3 Studying/Rea

ding

Electric Fan

4 Refrigerator

5 Reading/

Studying

Most households use firewood that are gathered free from the forest.

Some use charcoal that is bought at 150-155 per kilo which is quite expensive for

them.

Even for households with access to electricity, firewood remains to be the

main fuel used. This is due to the fact that many of them have easy access to

firewood, which can be gathered without cost in the woodlands and forests within

their communities. In the focus-group discussions, it was noted that whilecooking is a primarily female task, the responsibility for gathering firewood falls

on the male members of each household.


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Table 18. Household Activities and Energy Source, Esperanza

Household

Activities

Brgy. Numo Brgy. Ilian Brgy.

Pamantingan

Cooking Firewood Firewood Firewood

Refrigeration Electricity Electricity n/a

Comfort cooling Electricity Electricity n/a

Ironing Clothes n/a charcoal n/a

Recreation (TV) Electricity Electricity n/a

Studying,

Reading

n/a Electricity n/a

Table 19. Household Activities and Energy Source, Columbio

HH

Activities

Eday Maligaya Telafas Bantangan Libertad Natividad Sinapulan

Cooking Firewood Firewood Firewood Firewood Firewood Firewood Firewood

Refrigeration Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity

Electric Fan Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity

Ironing

Clothes

n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Recreation Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity

Studying &

Reading

Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity Electricity

This study is constrained from quanitifying the amount of firewood and

charcoal used in the households per period. However, in an experimental study

conducted by the the US- Environmental Protection Agency together with localscientists from China and India, where small scale combustion devices are

largely used, it was shown that Carbon Emission Factors range from 15 85

g/kg, depending on the type and quality of firewood/charcoal used and the

combustion device (Smith, 2000). Emission factors refer to the amount of

pollutants produced for every unit of fuel burned.


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Home cooking using firewood and charcoal do contribute to green house

gases emission aside from the fact that it also impacts on forests where these

materials are collected.

For lighting, the communities depend on grid-supplied system for the

source which appears to be sufficient. A big portion of the barangays in the study

are energized to a sufficient level, except for Barangays Eday and Sinapulan in

Columbio, which has only 5% and 40% coverage, respectively. In Esperanza,

Barangay Ilian only has 30% coverage.

The topography of the area and the low density in terms of clustered

communities contribute to the low coverage in these barangays. Distributing

electricity in these areas, where the terrain and distance from main gridlines is a

challenge, thereby making it more costly than standard installations, is not found

to be feasible.

Moreover, despite the high level of coverage in the rest of the barangays,

only very few of the farming households are registered consumers. In somecases, their is only one registered consumer for a cluster of 5 - 10 households as

the others will just tap from the connection for their lighting needs. This is illegal

but is a common practice in these communities. Installation cost plus the

minimum monthly subscription cost, which can reach more than P100.00 per

month are the main factors that hinder most households from availing of their

own line. This is despite the fact that majority, if not all, of the households see

having access to electricity as an important need to be fulfilled in their respective

households.

Respondents in the FGD often cite the need for lighting, especially at

night, as the main reason why they seek access to electricity. This is especially

true for those with children who are at school.


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3.7. Renewable Energy Aspirations

Renewable energy generation is no longer new to the communities, solar

power being the most popular among them. There had been several projects that

provide households with solar panels that are able to support household lighting

and a few recreational facilities in the adjacent barangays and municipalities.

Sadly, a number of these projects have not been succesful in sustaining the

initial gains, and some facilities had been decommissioned due to absence of

repair services. In some cases, the solar panels and batterries were sold by

beneficiaries, earning them some money they could use for other needs.

However, the indomitable spirit of the Filipino farmer still dreams of access

to renewable energy, not just for domestic use but for their farming needs as

well. There were discussions on the possibility of solar-powered tractors and

rotary weeders during the focus-group discussions. They also expressed that

owning post-harvest facilities, now being operated by traders and some wealthy

individuals, would be a big help for them and their communities. Using renewableenergy sources to operate these facilities would be an ideal complement to their

efforts in organic farming, they said.

3.8. Women and Renewable Energy

Renewable energy needs in livelihood activities is more pronounced in the

post-harvest part of the production chain. More often than not, these is to power

farm machineries and facilities that are traditionally operated and controlled by

men.

However, in the communities with RDISK and Oxfam presence, the

women are very familiar with and actively takes part in the activities and decision-

making processes when it comes to farming. In the FGD, women tend to be more


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vocal and precise on the renewable energy needs in their areas. These needs

concerns the provision of alternatives that will lessen the cost of production,

improve productivity, and the possibility of taking part in the whole value-chain,

that is, producing rice instead of semi-dried palay.

3.9. Renewable Energy Potentials

3.9.1. Solar Energy

The areas under study appears to have a very high potential for solar

energy generation. Number of days with sunshine ranges from 13 24 days per

month, and with an average of 7 hours per day of sunshine, it can be said that

the sun shines brightly over the province of Sultan Kudarat.

Table 20: Selected Data on Climate History, Historical Averages, Sultan

Kudarat

Month # of days with

sunshine/month

# of hours

withsunshine/day

Temperature

Average High Low

January 17 7 30 40 13

February 21 8 30 38 16

March 22 9 31 38 11

April 24 8 32 37 14

May 18 7 33 39 14

June 13 7 29 38 13

July 13 7 32 36 20

August 15 7 32 38 19

September 14 7 30 37 20


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October 16 7 31 39 14

November 18 7 31 40 13

December 19 8 29 39 18

Source:www.myweather2.com (Nov. 15, 2013)

Harvesting solar energy at the farmlands of Columbio and Esperanza can

be made possible by utilizing the community warehouse facilities that are present

in all barangays in Columbio and in the three barangays in Esperanza. Each

warehouse has an estimated area of 60 sqm. When fitted with solar panels with

an optimal coverage, it can harvest up 56 kWh per day. This is enough to support

the operating requirement of a small to medium mechanical palay/corn dryer with

an average energy consumption of 10 kWh to 40 kWh per day. This type of dryer

is able to process an approximate volume of at most 40 sacks2of palay per batch

(Ulit, Casil, Castro, Gagelonia, & Bautista, 2005).

Rice and corn mills that can run at less than 56 kWh per day can also be

operated in conjunction with this power generation facility.

This can also be used to substitute for the petroleum fuel used for

threshers and corn shellers. However, the technical challenges of converting

these diesel engine-driven machines to ones that are powered by electricity, and

the mechanism to store power for these mobile facilities need to be addressed.

21 sack = 50 kilograms
http://www.myweather2.com/http://www.myweather2.com/


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Figure 3. Solar Dryers in Esperanza

Excess energy generated may also be distributed to nearby households tosupply their lighting and cooking energy requirements, especially during periods

of inactivity in between harvest seasons.

Another option would be to establish a grid-tied system where excess

power generated may be fed to the grid at a fee. In peak times, the grid may also

be used to ensure continuous drying or milling activity.

3.9.2. Hydro-electric

Areas with potentials for mini-hydro power generation can benefit from the

bigger amount of power that can be generated from this system. Barangays

Sinapulan, Maligaya and Telafas in Columbio can tap from the Alil and Dalol


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River systems to generate as much as 190 kW of electric power. This in turn can

be used in a variety of value-adding activities to include threshing, shelling,

drying and milling. This will also be capable of providing power for night lighting

of at most 1,200 households in these communities.

Table 21. Parameters and Values for Computation of Power Potential,

Columbio

Columbio, Hydro Brgy. Maligaya,

Alip River

Brgy. Sinapulan,

Alip River

Brgy. Telafas,

Dalol River

Flow Rate (m/s) 125 0.90 1.14

Cross-sectional Area,

m2

5.17 7.00 2.30

Gross Head, m 5.00 5.00 5.00

Potential, kW 190.21 185.41 77.17


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Figure 4. Hydro Power Potential Map, Columbio

In Barangay Numo in Esperanza, an irrigation jump canal is capable of

producing an average of 26kW hydropower. Rice farmers whose farms are within

the 500 meter radius from the power generation facility, may tap power from such

facility for threshing of palay. Households within 1 km radius from the facility may

also tap power for their household energy needs.

As with the generation facility for solar, these mini-hydropower facilities

may also be grid-tied and the excess power sold to the electric local distribution

cooperative.


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Table 22. Parameters and Values for Computation of Power Potential, Brgy.

Numo, Esperanza

Average flow rate, m/s 7.00

Cross-sectional Area, m 0.12

Gross Head, m 6.00

Power Potential, kW 29.00

3.9.3. Wind Energy

The average wind speed for the province of Sultan Kudarat is at 6 km/h,

reaching maximum gusts of up to 80 km/h, in specific areas (SK, 2010). The

potential for power generation at this speed is very low and therefore not

feasible. In the project areas, the researchers did not find suitable evidence of

feasibility of a power generation facility utilizing wind power.

3.10. Bio-fuels

A number of barangays in the area have grasslands and idle lands that

can be utilized for the production of bio-fuel crops. When produced and

processed locally, this can be used for the mobile machineries used in land

preparation that currently run on diesel and gasoline engines.


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Chapter 4

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Rice and Corn farming is the major livelihood in the municipalities of

Esperanza and Columbio. For the population of Oxfam partners in the area, rice

farming is the major source of income. Renewable energy projects that will

support the rice and corn production chains will be of great benefit to the farming

households.

It has been observed that activities requiring fuel and energy are

concentrated in the land preparation and post-harvest stages of the production

chain. In many cases, participation of the farmers/producers end at the harvest

stage. It has been a common practice to sell semi-dried palay or corn to traders

and operators of mills in their locality. Thus, value-addition activities is effectively

passed from the farmers to traders and businesses after the harvest. This

explains the low popularity of renewable energy as a resource in farming

activities among rice and corn farmers.

4.1. Natural Fuels for Mobile Machineries

In the land preparation stage, most machineries requiring fuel are mobile

and require a large amount of power to operate. The study has identified two

major barriers to full integration to renewable energy utilization for this part of the

value chain. These are:

1. Absence of appropriate technologies such as a battery that is capable

of storing a large amount of energy and are able to produce sufficient

power for land tilling as an alternative the diesel and gasoline engines

that is largely used in machineries in the land preparation stage. Bio-


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fuels are not yet available in many rural areas in the country, aside

from the fact that there is an on-going discourse of its legitimacy as a

climate-mitigating alternative and its environmental soundness.

2. Renewable energy technologies that is capable of generating energy

and at the same time power a machine akin to that of solar-powered

automobiles are still in its infancy stage. In fact, it has not been

established if such is entirely feasible technically and economically.

There are two alternatives to veer away from the petroleum-fuelled mode

of production. One is to revert back to the use of farm animals in tilling the land.

For rice farmers, where synchronous planting has been the mode already,

catching up with the irrigation schedule will be a challenge, especially with the

dwindling number of draft animals available in the area. However, mechanisms to

increase the availability of draft animals, and to optimize its utilization can be

arranged by the community. Thus, this should not be entirely discounted outright.

Moreover, continuing research and development activities for alternatives is

always an option.

Another one would be the utilization of bio-fuels for these machineries.

The potential for production of Moringa fuel in the area is promising with its wide

area of idle lands and grasslands. This can be tapped to enable the community

to grow and produce their own bio-fuel for their needs.

Given the big amount of resources involved in using imported petroleum

fuel for production, as shown in the table below, the possibility of domestic

production of bio-fuel using the Moringa, which is easily grown in the area is a

very attractive proposal. Small-scale biodiesel production has been tested and

even currently on-going in some areas in the country. This can also be replicated

in Esperanza and Columbio.


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Table 23. Annual Fuel Consumption for Rice and Corn Production and Processing

Activity Rice Corn

Liters Amount Liters Amount

Land Preparation 204,546 9,205,380.00 248,752 11,193,840.00

Threshing/Shelling 17,047 767,160.00 17,768 767,160.00

Totals 221,593 9,972,540.00

Add: Milling 156,832 7,057,458.00

Totals 378,425 17,029,998 266,520 11,993,840.00

Combined Total 644,945 29,023,838.00

Bio-diesel, which can be readily used in existing engines driving most

automobiles and farm equipments. It has been tested to reduce greenhouse

gases emission to a certain extent (US-EPA, 2002). However, a study using a

global business model found out that emissions from land use change to grow

bio-fuel crops are seen to increase GHG emission instead (Searchinger, et al.,

2008). It has seen to compete with the demand for food as food stocks such ascorn and soybean are utilized for bio-fuel. The increase in the demand also led to

the increase in the production thereby leading to land use conversion for

agricultural production.

Thus, biodiesel production, if pursued in the area should be limited to the

use of idle lands and land-use conversion or clearing of forests to make way for

bio-fuel crops production should be avioded at all costs. Moringa, which is easily

grown under poor soil conditions and is not a staple food crop can be a good

alternative.


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4.2. Solar Energy and Hydro-electric for Stationary Facilities

The stage where integration of renewable energy is very feasible is the

post-harvest stage. This includes stationary facilities such as driers and mills.

The ocular survey yielded a number of sites that can be tapped for renewable

energy generation and support these activities. Of very high potential is the Alip

and Dalol river systems in the municipality of Columbio. In all areas, solar power

harvesting is also possible by utilizing spaces in community-owned dryer and

warehouse complex and facilities.

A big part of the area is already supported by the grid. Thus, a grid-tied

system is highly recommended. This ensures continuous supply of needed

power should the facility fall short of the requirement or will have to shut-down for

repairs or other circumstances. Since post-harvest activities are largely seasonal,

the energy generated can be sold and fed to the grid.

Drying of produce in the area is largely done manually and has beenproven to be reliable most of the time. A mechanical drier will serve as a back-up

mechanism to ensure optimal production for the farmers. This can be powered by

renewable energy. On the other hand, mechanisms to optimize and concentrate

thermal heat can be employed in drying palay and corn. This can help in

shortening drying time and save time for the farmers while decreasing

possibilities of spoilage.

Currently, control and ownership of post-harvest facilities lie largely on

traders and business individuals. Oxfam partners in the area have expresed their

desire to someday own and operate such facilities. This can only be possible if

they raise enough funds to cover the cost of acquisition of these machineries,

which is quite expensive.


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A facility that will produce renewable energy might just benefit the

operators of drying and milling facilities more than the farming households. This

will somehow benefit farmers by pulling down the cost of drying and milling

services should the energy generated be less costly than the tariff rate of the

local electric cooperative. However, it is unlikely that this will have a big impact

on the livelihoods of many farming households since most of them sell their

produce devoid of value-addition.

The ideal would be to set-up a renewable energy powered value-

addition facility that will process the organic produce of the farming

households. Aside from being free of chemicals, their products can also be

labelled as green and with minimum carbon footprint. This will boost

marketability and value.

4.3. Multi-Crop Renewable Energy Facilities

Other crops with potentials for upscaling in production and are alsoproduced by the farming households are also identified. These are Coconut,

Banana, Rubber and Vegetables. Activities in the value chain for the said

products can also be supported by renewable energy in the same fashion as with

Rice and Corn. Given the limited volume produced, renewable energy integration

for these products should be further studied to investigate if scale and market

value will be able to cover the costs associated with renewable energy facility

establishment and operations.


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bachman, L., Cruzada, E., & Wright, S. (2009). Food Security and Farmer Empowerment: A Study

of the Impacts of Farmer-led Sustainable Agriculture in the Philippines. Magsasaka at

Syentipiko Para sa Pag-unlad ng Agricultura (Masipag).

Maranan, C. (1985). Comparative Evaluation of Tractor and Carabao Use in Rice Lan Preparation.

Journal of Philippine Development Number Twenty One, Volume XII, No. 1.

Municipality of Columbio. (2010). Municipal Profile.Columbio.

Searchinger, T., Heimlich, R., Houghton, R., Fengxia, D., Amani, E., Jacinto, F., . . . Yu, T.-H.

(2008). Use of US Croplands for Biofuels Increase Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions

from Land Use Change.

Smith, K. (2000). Greenhouse Gases from Small Scale Combustion Devices in Developing

Countries. United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Ulit, M., Casil, F., Castro, R., Gagelonia, E., & Bautista, E. (2005). Technical and Socio-economic

Evaluation in Ilocos Norte of a Low-Cost Grain Dryer from Vietnam. Man Philippine

Journal of Crop Science.

US-EPA. (2002).A Comprehensive Analysis of Biodiesel Impacts and Exhaust Emissions, Technical

Report.USA.

re baseline study

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