(Palayamanan image[1] from Palayamanan Farmers Coop)
As Editor In Chief of PJCS, I accepted and the paper was published, “Palayamanan: A Rice-Based Farming Systems Model For Small-Scale Farmers” authored by RG Corales, LM Juliano, AOV Capistrano, HS Tobias, NV Dasalla, SD Cañete, MC Casimero & LS Sebastian (PJCS 29, 2005).. Now, let me point out that even if the name of the journal seemed limiting papers published to crops, the Palayamanan paper was animal science and crop science enriching each other.
The abstract of the technical paper says:
The Palayamanan model of diversified integrated rice-based farming system developed and established by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is composed of synergistically compatible farming ventures such as rice, onion, poultry, livestock, and aquaculture. The model farm has been established in six state colleges and universities and a research center in the country. The system employs practical, cost-saving and yield-enhancing management practices. The system includes microbial technology as an added dimension of the management practices to facilitate farm operations, improve the resource base and reduce overall operational costs. A one-hectare diversified farm can sustain most of the daily food requirements, incidental expenses from fast-growing crops, and provide considerable income from animals, fish, and seasonal field crops.
As conceived, Palayamanan is a model mix of crop & livestock raising systems: rice, onion, poultry, livestock, and aquaculture. This is in a 1-hectare farm. This has been set up in 6 state colleges and universities and a research center in the Philippines. It is cost-saving because the would-be waste in one system becomes an input in another, such as poultry waste used as fertilizer and crop refuse as animal feed. Palayamanan reduces farming risk by being composed of several systems – if one system fails, the other systems can at least sustain the farming family as to food, incidental expenses, and “provide considerable income from animals, fish, and seasonal field crops.” Three members of a family of six can operate the whole farm.
My concern lies in communication for development, ComDev, in the field of Agriculture –Palayamanan has not proliferated in the Philippines. I believe it is not the art & science of it; rather, it is the lack of avid ComDev journalists who have been enthusiastically endorsing it, which explains the lack of success stories.
Yes, I daresay Palayamanan is a treasure trove that remains to be discovered and/or re-discovered by the Department of Agriculture, DA, under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar.@517
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