Measuring Impact

Research that works for developing countries and Australia

 

Evaluation and adoption of improved farming practices on soil and water resources, Bohol Island, the Philippines

Project ID:
SMCN/2004/078
Collaborating Countries:
Philippines
Project Locations
Commissioned Organisation:
University of Western Sydney, Australia
Project Leader
Professor H. John Bavor
Phone: (02) 4570 1264
Fax: 02 4570 1267
Email: j.bavor@uws.edu.au
Collaborating Institutions:
  • Bureau of Soil and Water Management, Philippines
  • Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines
  • University of Sydney, Australia
  • World Agroforestry Centre, Philippines
  • Applied Horticultural Research, Australia
Project Budget:
$840,299
Project Duration:
01/01/2007 - 31/12/2010
ACIAR Research Program Manager
Dr Gamini Keerthisinghe
Project Overview

On Bohol Island in the Philippines there are opportunities for farmers to reduce some of the negative aspects of agricultural activity through introduction of conservation techniques, undertaken in association with existing landcare approaches that provide training and encourage adoption. Building on the experience and expertise developed through the earlier ACIAR projects LWR/2001/003 and ASEM/2002/051, the project will promote the adoption of improved farming on highly erodible soils on steeply sloping uplands in two upper watersheds in Bohol. It will focus on better practices in corn/cassava cropping areas to improve farmer livelihoods, reduce erosion and counteract silting of the water resource.

Project Progress Reports
Year One

In previous ACIAR studies it has been demonstrated that activities which have the highest adverse impact on agricultural sustainability (and therefore long term economic sustainability) in upland farming on Bohol, include: up and down cultivation on sloping lands, continuous use of nutrient-depleting crops such as corn and cassava, and extensive cultivation of steep upland soils. These non-sustainable farming systems have been identified as those with the greatest potential for improvement to reduce soil loss and poverty. In addressing these issues, a key objective of this project is to quantify, demonstrate and provide examples to farmers of the environmental and farm-level economic benefits that can be realised by implementing selected best management practices for soil, water and crop management in affected areas.
The Project team has successfully established 3 improved practice and 3 conventional practice sites in the upper Inabanga watershed, with highly erodible soils on sloping uplands and which include a corn-cassava rotation. The sites are located in the municipalities of Carmen, Sierra Bullones and San Carlos/Pilar. Farmer-cooperators at the improved practice sites have been guided in implementing improved practices. Additionally, sites have been established in the upper Abatan watershed on steeply sloping land where erosion control measures have been implanted for at least 5 years and also on conventionally farmed land. The sites are in the Cadungao municipality, and had received earlier guidance in improved practices through previous ICRAF Landcare activities.
All the sites have been topographically surveyed, geo-referenced and characterised to determine site soil and water components, including physico-chemical properties, soluble and exchangeable cations, pH and nutrients. On-site weather station and automatic water flow and sampling equipment commissioning is being completed. Cropping maps and 5-year cropping schedules have been completed for the sites, with ongoing labour, planting material and fertiliser inputs recorded for all cropping activities. Additionally, crop transport and crop return revenues are recorded. Training workshops on record keeping using farm journals and farm budgeting have been conducted for farmer-cooperators, local government and Municipal Agriculture Officer (MAO) representatives. FMD teams have developed 5-year cropping plans and have been guided in appropriate land management, following initial characterisation of the farm sites.

The socio-economic team has carried out baseline and end-of-cropping-season surveys to quantify productivity of crops, input costs, marketable yields, market prices and overall economic returns on all farms within the improved and unimproved subwatershed sites. Case study data has been collected by the farmer cooperators and the Project team and is being used to guide the team in upcoming cropping periods.