Agroecology – Organic Farming – Traditional Farming

The garden at APC is not typical of a traditional farm given its straight plots and paths, but works with many of the traditional practices. The intention is to produce food, other than carbohydrates, for use in the dalēpaan.

The farm is beside one of the little tributaries of Kiasu River. It is also located within the broader forest and bamboo environment which is more protective of this type of ecosystem that we call agroecology, than if the garden were surrounded by open maize fields.

The garden follows the basic principles of organic farming and does not use chicken dung from the commercial poultry farms around, given the chemicals and feeds used. The pest sprays are simple organic concoctions.

APC always had a food garden or small farm and kept pigs and buffalos. The buffalos were originally for hauling supplies from Barangay St. Peter when the logging road was not graded or bridges maintained.

1. Direct learning

Direct learning from the culture teaches us through the experience over many, many generations of land, seeds, seasons, crop mix, and various techniques. Respect is learned for what is known and practice reduces vulnerability. As a result much is known instinctively which science may have more recently unfolded. Care for the soil has a long and deep practice in most traditions. Having cleared the land, and after two or three harvests of grains, some root crops and other vegetables may remain while the land is allowed rest. In the farm here, intensive composting and enrichment with organic material and concoctions are used to revitalize the soil with a change in crops each season.

The soil biome is the life dynamic in the soil. A small amount of soil is populated with millions of diverse microorganisms not visible to human eye. These include bacteria, fungi, archaea, viruses, and protozoa that are beneficial, while others are pathogenic. They play a big role in a much broader ecosystem cycle of decay and growth, recycling nutrients and making them available for larger organisms. With this process of decomposition, they keep the soil healthy sustaining the growth from one harvest to the new planting and harvest again. There are thousands of insects that also help in the decomposition and recycling of nutrients, all adding to the natural biodiversity.

Agroecology is a way of farming that balances and sustains the relationship between the human (family), land, and life of the landscape. It is a relationship of nurturing and respect, recognizing all the integral organic processes. A particular ecosystem has its natural processes in keeping the balances of energy, water, nutrients, diversity and food chains within the broader macro-climate conditions. The human intervention through farming and livelihood adjusts to and makes adjustments in all of these flows. In a traditional cultural context of farming here in the uplands, the family has a historical relation within the landscape-ecosystem through the ancestors and a deeper sense of gratitude shared with Migtanghaga, the Creator, who grants them this life.

2. Pulangiyēn practice

Pag-uma

Pag-uma is the local way of farming based on this indigenous knowledge which has a sense of community and care for the land, while knowing a diversity of crops, their niche in the landscape, and their sequencing and interrelation.This farming is very dependent on the environmental processes and the seasons,including the moon, whether as anuma (farm) of around a hectare, or taligba/bunday (garden) of 10 to 100m². Bitay, the full moon, in March andOctober is best for rice and corn. Dalukilup, the time that there is no moon, is best for planting some vegetables, hunting and fishing.This local way of farming is done without external and chemical inputs.

The Pulangiyēn farming culture works with two main cropping seasons. These are panuig from March to September and tibunglay from October to February. The farming activities start with bagtu, an assessment of the area for a good uma; sakum (clearing); pamilay (cutting of tress); panaluta (gathering of branches), bigsēl (burning); lapug (second burning) for planting root crops sa udtuhan or quarter moon which is best for planting beans, aglay, upland rice; panalabuta/pang-igbabasēk, a ritual to the spirits of the place for good farming and abundant harvest; pangēdēk, minimal tillage by planting seeds using a dip stick; pangilamun (weeding); lagun, a ritual done by harvesting a small portion to taste and to give thanks; tinglugtay (harvesting); and panalangin, a thanksgiving ritual to Migtanghaga and the spirits for the harvest.

Community

These farming activities also strengthen the sense of community and relations through liyuawa, buliga, and hunglus. This is a principle of helping the farm owner in the activities without financial payment. Around 15 families may choose to participate in the activities through the principle of lending help. The responsibility of the farm owner is at least to provide them with a good meal. In the morning, the people work in the farm and by noon most farm work is already completed. They lunch together and some go swimming in the river. During the night they will gather in the dapulan (fireplace) where they celebrate this relation as a community which later relates to a much greater ritual like panalawaig, a thanksgiving for life given by Migtanghaga to the community, the forest, and water.

Agroforestry

Local farms are usually in the more exposed areas and ridges, while the stream areas are not usually cleared or cut. Areas are kept for local abaca fiber, alamay, and local fruit tress of nangka and marang. There are seven species of bamboo and for each one there are particular uses. All of this allows for a broader context of  agroforestry where the agriculture and forest coexist.

3. Diversity

Crop diversity

This is about the variety of food and right nutrition but also plays a role inreducing major pest infestation and disease. Having a diversity of crops invite natural pest controllers and pollinators that help keep the balance through sustaining a natural food web and diversifying the ecosystem. Some of the local crops are still found in a few traditional uma on the Agusan side such as hēmay or upland rice that has at least 11 local varieties remembered, and mais or corn with at least six varieties. Most of these grain varieties are very rare today and can only be found in distant communities. Other locally available grains include aglay or Job’s tears of which there is a little kept in many uma.

Other vegetables are more commonly grown in limited areas such as root crops: kamote or sweet potato with perhaps 10 varieties, binggala, luy-a, dawa, adupa, labug; fruits such as saging withseven varieties, pinya, kapayas, bayabas,marang; and fruiting vegetables such as balantong, talong, hagpa, kudyapa, kalabasi, kandul, kamatis, tubu, ganda.

Food diversity

Food diversity provides a healthy and balanced diet in the Pulangiyēn tradition and is dependent upon the farmers knowledge-skill in maintaining the diversity possible. During the planting season, the right crops have to be selected for hot and wet weather. When it is hot, bingala, adupa and camote are best.

The whole family plays a role in this with the women usually maintaining the diversity, the herbal plants and preparations, and the small livestock. The children as they grow up are familiar with all of these activities. The APC school keeps free the traditional hot months (April and May) during which time land is prepared and planted so the children can have time on the land. From elementary to high school, they learn to cultivate crops here and eat the traditional diversity of carbohydrates and vegetables of high vitamins and protein in the dalēpaan.

Local crop production

Local crop production helps maintain the balance of the socioeconomic and environmental needs. This allows a natural method of farming without chemical inputs, suitable to its environment, and able to withstand the local weather, pest and disease. It also enables culture practices to continue strengthening  farm relations and sense of community.

The sequencing of staple food for consumption is primary in the menu. Upland rice was key but supplanted now by wetland rice bought from the lower areas. There are corn grits today, usually the sigi-sigi variety, a semi hybrid corn, followed by other root crops like kamote and balanghoy, that are wisely cookeduntil a new grain harvest begins. Aside from these crops in the farm, there are also available food crops in the forest that can be gathered and prepared.

Natural food chains

The image highlights the traditional practice of living with the gift of life around respecting that all life has a purpose and relation. Obviously action is taken when insects and birds  or mammals affect a significant part of the crop. The recognition that there is a natural food chain of who eats what and the importance of keeping the balance is valued. The nearby vegetation also plays a role in providing a space for predicators and pollinators and preventing massive pest infestation or some extreme elements of climate impact.

Seed banking

Seed banking helps to diversify food sources and sustain local crop varieties and valuable crops that have greatly diminished. Most of the traditional rice and corn varieties are lost and commercial ‘death-gene corn’ is only fit for the animal feeds industry. Without local crop sources, farming will only mean economic survival and to live according to economic pressures and social trends take us away from a mutual caring relation with the land.

4. Sustainable training and collaboration in relation to the land

The skills and knowledge that APC offers with the youth and women aim to capacitate them to take leadership roles in their community and gaup to produce local, diverse, and healthy food, and also to protect the environment from being over-exploited to sustain natural resources. Continuously learning from cultural practices reduces vulnerability of both people and environment. This sharing of knowledge and learning guides us in making the best choices in care for our natural resources.

Sharing

Health – organic farming and food allows health environment and wellbeing.

Lifestyle (Dalēpaan) – the effort is to produce food locally, that is healthy and sustainable, and allows to have a diverse food for health and helps generate local economics.

Land management – the ability to work with the land without destructive activities for land sustainability, safe environment, retention of soil nutrients, and availability of clean water.

Trainings

Leadership – to encourage youth and women to take leadership roles in providing safe and healthy food, protecting the environment over economic exploitation, and being advocates

Skills – to capacitate youth and women to sustainably produce local, diverse, and healthy food

Livelihood – the ability to integrate healthy and local food produce with daily needs and with the possibility of income generation

Collaboration

Participation – to take actions through local efforts and youth participation for the care of our common home

Partnership – to be a venue of exchange of experiences and ideas for better actions and participation in local and global

Advocacy – to be an advocate of healthy food and safe environment and care for common home