DA to Establish Contour Farming for Corn in Visayas

Contour farming technology demo sites for corn in the Visayas and Mindanao will be established by the Department of Agriculture (DA) under the Sustainable Corn Production in Sloping Areas (SCOPSA) program and as part of the Department’s soil erosion and climate change adaptation measures.

However, not all land areas in the Visayas are suitable for contour farming, said OIC Regional Technical Director Joel Elumba.

In Cebu, for example, majority of farmers are not practicing contour farming because their land areas are not suitable to it, Elumba said. But some are adopting corn farming on both hilly and flat or lowland areas particularly in the mountain barangays.

Elumba added that they already encouraged farmers here in the region to plant corn in order to augment the food requirements, and also to lessen the market price of the said commodity.

The DA, in a statement, said Agriculture Assistant Secretary Edilberto de Luna said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala has already identified several sites in Iloilo, Bukidon, Davao and Cotabato.

Contour farming is the practice of planting across a slope, following contour lines, thus creating a water break. Water break reduces the formation of gullies and rills caused by cascading water- a major cause soil erosion.

De Luna, in the same statement, said that per Philippine protocols, planting in areas above 18 percent slope is prohibited, but in reality, it is easier said than done, because farmers who have planted in the uplands will certainly refuse to give up their source of livelihood.

“It’s clear to us that they should not go and plant and cultivate in those areas, but we also have to consider that these people have to have a source of sustainable livelihood,” De Luna said.

The DA, together with CropLife Philippines, has already established contour farming techno demo sites in the provinces of Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, and Cagayan in Region 2.

According to De Luna, the results are very encouraging and many farmers are expected to follow suit. De Luna, in addressing the apparent fear of farmers over corn farming, said “what they may lose in corn, they will certainly gain in other ‘cash’ crops.”

Farmer are dismayed learning that if they engage in corn farming, part of their harvest will be lost. (With Press Release)

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