STBF inception

June 1. The first day of the month. It seemed also the start of a new grand beginning for our STBF project at Magallanes, Agusan del Norte. Remember my previous entry on STBF? Well, it is the day that we were waiting. After year of waiting, at last it is here. Today is our inception meeting.

Before the inception meeting, we went to the site for the PCARRD’s representatives to familiarize the site and can give inputs essential for the establishment of the project. The STBF as it turned should not necessarily be complicated, with lots of intervention but simple as much as possible. It is simple for the implementation of the farmers and easy for the adoption of interested farmers. What is important is the identification of the farmers practice to serve as basis where the intervention be done, which are beneficial to increase his productivity.

After the tour in the 6 hectare farm and the site for the STBF has been identified, as well as the site for the MS practice, a sumptuous meal awaited us at the watergate. There were fried fish, big and small so-orange shrimp and brackish crabs, banana turon, boiled camote and cassava, puto maya, and rice. There was even a brandy, which Sir H took 2 sips. So much for the food, I salivate and crave for them now.

In the case of our STBF, which is rice-fish-duck farming system, we will only focus our intervention in rice component by using saline-tolerant rice variety because the site is reached by brackish water sometime of the year during high tide, when sea water from the Butuan Bay enters the rivers filling the waterways that supply the fishponds surrounding the area. Transplanting method of planting rice will be done while direct seeding will be used for the farmer’s practice. For the duck component, the intervention will be the system of separating the duck using nets from the rice and the part of the area that will be utilized for growing tilapia and the provision of indigenous housing for the ducks. While for the fish, intervention was done by providing a system of separating it from ducks and rice. Feeding will be done only for the first two months while the remaining months until harvest, tilapia will be feeding on the growing algae, mosses that grow in the pond.

In the afternoon, we did our on the work and financial plan for the year. This time, we are finalizing the proposal for its actual operation that will serve as our blueprint for the establishment of this STBF.