CHALLENGES OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES Brenda S. Tubana Brenda S. Tubana
OVERVIEW Products of precision agriculture Philippines: Information and basic statistics Agriculture in the Philippines Problems in Philippine Agriculture Challenges and Strategies Conclusion
Products of Precision Agriculture To increase production
Products of Precision Agriculture To decrease environmental and human life risk
The Philippines Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Phil. Sea and the south China Sea
Information and basic figures The Philippines is an archipelago of some 7100 islands Total land area: 298,170 sq km, slight larger than Arizona Climate: tropical marine Population: 80 million The population is predominantly rural (57%), with 43% living in urban areas. Employment in the agricultural sector accounts for 44% of the 24-million-person labor force.
Resources RICH LAND LABOR FAVORABLE CLIMATE ON-GOING RESEARCH
Agriculture in the Philippines Of the total 30 million ha, 13 million hectares are devoted to agricultural crops food grain (31%), food crops (52%) and non-food crops (17%)
Agriculture in the Philippines It is the cornerstone of the country’s economy It employs 40% of the active population of the country (11.9 million in 1999). Majority of the farmers use simple tools and draught animals.
Problems in Philippine Agriculture Lack of technical expertise knowledge and technology Landlessness Most farms are very small Low and decreasing investment in system maintenance
Philippines : Low-Income Food-Deficit Country One-third (29.6%) of the children in the Philippines are malnourished 50 % of these children are under three years old 8.4% are below the age of six years (1.1 million) 7 % are 7-10 year old schoolers (465,000)POVERTY LACK OF BUYING POWER
Challenges and Strategies: 1. Reduce yield gaps and increase profit Factor StrategiesImplication Crop Establishment Manual to machine transplanting; direct seeding Reduced labor, improved timeliness Water Management Less-available water-Better maintenance of irrigation & drainage structure; shifts to low water levels Less water use, more area irrigated, higher water use efficiency Nutrient management From blanket to site-specific, need-based nutrient management Less fertilizer cost, same or higher yield, better quality water and soil Grain quality Manual to mechanical post- production operation Timeliness, better grain quality, higher price and profitability
Reduce yield gap and increase profit It is an approach to feeding rice with nutrients as and when needed The application and management of nutrients are dynamically adjusted to crop needs of the location and season. Site-Specific Nutrient Management
Techniques to match crop needs Leaf color chart for N Nutrient Omission for P and K
Improving Land preparation Laser Leveling Draft Animal Reduction in time and water required to irrigate the field
Challenges and Strategies 2. Bridge knowledge gap and improve technical support Integrate indigenous knowledge and scientists’ technical knowledge to enhance mutual learning. Technology delivery system should be reoriented. Continuous farmer education (FFS – farmer field school and FPR – farmer participatory research) Effective communication technology Institutional/policy support
Table 1. Mean rice yields and area in Country/RegionArea ‘000 ha Yield t ha -1 Yield % Australia Asia138, Philippines3,978 (6.3)* USA1, World155, * Potential rice yield
Table 2. Mean fertilizer inputs and rice yields in on-farm research trials, farmer cooperators’ field, and non-cooperators’ fields in Central Luzon, Philippines in ParticularsNo. of Farms Mean NPK Kg ha -1 Yield t ha -1 Yield Gap % 1996 Wet Season (July to October) On-farm trials (1.01)-- Farmer Cooperators (1.31)4.8 Farmer non cooperators (0.83) Dry Season ( January to April) On-farm trials (0.90)-- Farmer Cooperators (1.02)5.8 Farmer non cooperators (1.23)38.6
Conclusion Economic and environmental benefit of precision agriculture should be brought into the knowledge of the farmers to achieve impact on productivity and profitability.
References ~cfford/342Myth5.htm pictures/philip.. about/philippines.php.
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