Farmer groups in Benguet and Mountain Province are embracing greenhouse technology through fund support from the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP).
Fourteen farmer groups implemented and sustained their micro-enterprise subprojects on vegetable and cutflower production under greenhouse technology.
“Production areas including existing greenhouse structures were damaged by typhoon calamities in 2015. Micro enterprise subprojects were implemented under the PRDP’s I-REAP component to provide sustainable income generating activities to farmers whose livelihoods were affected by typhoon calamities,” said Jocelyn W. Beray, I-REAP component head of the PRDP in the Cordillera.
Greenhouse structures were established to support the seedlings, vegetables, and cutflowers production. For some farmer groups, greenhouse materials such as polyethylene sheets and GI pipes along with other materials were turned over to them to rehabilitate their existing greenhouses.
While other farmer groups proposed the establishment/rehabilitation of greenhouses, some opted for farm mechanization, cattle fattening, and swine raising, among other livelihood proposals.
Aside from providing assistance to rehabilitate/restore farmers’ production areas, Beray said the establishment of greenhouse structures also seeks to increase food security and improve food productivity.
“Farming under greenhouse condition will help farmers sustain their production all year-round and protect their crops from adverse climatic conditions and insects and diseases,” she added.
Liby Ngaseo, a farmer and the manager of Bosigan Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative (BFMPC), said the greenhouse materials they received from the PRDP helped in ensuring that their crops are protected during extreme weather conditions. BFMPC is the proponent group of the micro-enterprise subproject on tomato production under greenhouse condition.
The Lower Buyacaoan Multipurpose Cooperative (LBMPC), on the other hand, is the proponent group of a micro enterprise subproject on lettuce seedling production using greenhouses. The construction of two greenhouse structures for the operations of the enterprise was completed in 2017.
Farmer Benjo Segundo, LBMPC manager, said the production expenses of greenhouse farming are lower compared with open-field farming.
Segundo added greenhouse increased crop yield and minimized external threats.
“We usually spend around P30,000 for input and labor expenses for open-field production and harvest around 1,500 kilograms of vegetables. With the greenhouses in place, we now harvest higher yield and earn higher income as compared to open-field production where we hardly earn above P40,000 per cropping,” Segundo added.
Jelalyn Maximino of the La Trinidad Cutflowers and Ornamental Growers Association, proponent group of a micro-enterprise on chrysanthemum production under greenhouse condition, said flowers grown under greenhouse condition are different in terms of color and of quality as compared to flowers that are grown outside.
“The flowers are protected inside the greenhouse and they look more vibrant,” Maximino added.
The construction of greenhouse structures for the production and marketing of potato tubers in Sadsadan, Bauko, Mountain Province was completed last March. – Elvy S. Taquio
April 25, 2024
