Coconut Farm in Panas, Matalom, Leyte

By


Jim Leandro P. Cano









ASYS 145
Participatory Methodologies in Agricultural Systems Research and Extension
2
nd
Semester 2012-2013



Introduction

The land devoted to the planting of coconut trees for the Cano family is situated slightly
uphill; approximately 15 to 20 minutes away from the National Highway in Bato, Leyte. Land
size would sum up to around 4.2 to 4.4 hectares. Currently, only coconuts are grown and the
harvest is sold for copra. The young coconut palms have exhibited a certain yellowing in their
mature leaves, which may be due to some disease or lack of nutrients. This has yet to be
determined.

The conducting of this study is important because the observed current conditions of
such a land area with this kind of crops grown are something that is common in the region and
even in other parts of the country. This farm can be a model farm wherein the solutions or
innovations introduced would be replicated in farms that have the same makeup of crops and
products. Seeing the interactions between various components will help us make informed
decisions on what solutions and innovations to implement in this model farm, and eventually in
other farms within the region and the country as well.

Objectives
The main objective of this study and exercise is for the student to identify the various
components and their interaction with the household, or the group of households, the
community.


Methodology
With regard to the biophysical components, the data on the type of climate was with
the help of reliable resources on the internet. For the recent weather conditions, they were
based on what was relayed by the students father who visited the farm recently. On the
institutional aspect, the students father was the source of the information for this since he has
been there and around the area for a long time.

Results and Discussion
The farm is situated 15 to 20 minutes away from the national highway. Its land size is
approximately 4.2 to 4.4 hectares. There is also a river that is nearby the area which can be a
good source of water and can also be a means of transportation because there are some who
use boats to go up and downstream. Coconut trees have been planted which would sum up to
about 200 trees and around 40 are fruit-bearing now. There remains to be a lot of potential in
the area since it is not fully developed and that even the adjacent properties are either idle or
less cultivated. If 4.4 hectares would be fully developed, we can have the leverage to acquire or
rent the other properties to develop and cultivate them as well. The coconuts that are
harvested are sold as copra on a quarterly basis. The income ranges between Php 3,000.00 and
Php 5,000.00. Given such data, the maximum income that the farm can get in a year is Php
20,000.00 a year, while on the minimum, Php 12,000.00 a year. There is a small valley-like area
in a certain part of the farm which has unutilized rice paddies. It is yet to be known how much
the paddies can yield. That would also be determined by what rice variety would be planted.
Different factors were taken into consideration with the data gathering. The categories
of the components are as follows: 1) Biophysical, 2) Economic, 3) Socio-cultural, and 4) Political
or Institutional.

For the biophysical factors, the area is open to a lot of sunlight in the dry season. Its
topography is more or less rolling. From the highway, it goes uphill. Given the four climate
types in the Philippines, the area in Panas falls under the type IV climate which means that it
more or less has even distribution of rainfall (Crop Farming Review). There are certain diseases
or problem with the young coconut palms as of now as well which have to be cured. On the
economic side, there are no inputs being used and there is a road constructed on the way to
the area of the farm because of the presence of Agrarian reform beneficiaries. Socio-culturally,
the people in the vicinity are mostly Roman Catholic, and there is less regard for education. 80%
of the people are illiterate, plus minus. Institutionally, there are cooperatives that exist:
National Association of Cooperatives and the St. Joseph multipurpose cooperative. There is also
a school that is located near the highway coming down from the farm. The interaction between
the components is seen in the figure.



Fig. 1 Diagram of interactions between components and the intervention.

The interventions are seen in the middle of the diagram and these actions would help
the farm reach the goals of improving the yield of the farm, establishing a multiple cropping, to
maximize the resources available, and to develop the farm to be a model farm for the farming
communities around and beyond Southern Leyte.

Once these interventions are implemented, there will most certainly be a change in the
physical aspect of the farm, wherein the topography can change and the way it looks as well.
The sunlight that is very much available in the area would be utilized in the best way possible
with the multiple cropping system because the crops from the different levels would be able to
get sunlight and transform it into a useful form. With the use of the technical know-how from
academic institutions, there would be more technological interventions employed which would
increase the yield thus being the most visible form of the interaction between the intervention
and the economic components.

With the establishment of the farm school eventually, we can have the out-of-school
youth in the area trained in a vocation that is worthwhile. With that the caretaker could also be
trained with technical know-hows and from there, s/he would be more efficient. There are
cooperatives present and the farm can partner with them for the conducting of seminars. The
academic institution Visayas State University College of Agriculture is an advantage for the
farm because of its proximity. They have researches that can help improve the farm and which
the farm can employ and teach through demos and seminars.

Conclusions
The observing and analyzing of the interaction of the components is very helpful to put
a farm or a community into context and to see what the current situation is and how problems
that exist can be solved. When it comes to dealing with the agricultural industry, the farming
business, the farming community, or even the farming household, the observation and analysis
is important because it is a complex type of work. There are many factors that must be
considered and are happening simultaneously.
Decision makers, be they managers or even the head of the house who may be taking
charge of the farm operations, will have to be alert and aware of changes that may and have
happened already in the different spheres of components. Change is inevitable and is constant
in farming. The way we should do farming is not as it was in ancient times, nor of that in the
medieval times, nor of the time when Masagana 99 was implemented. Times are changing, the
climate too, and we have to change as well in our methodologies and in our practices so as to
attain the ideal state and maximize the potential of each land.

As it has always been mentioned, agriculture is a complex field of study and science.
And the more that I delve deeper into the study of agriculture, especially now that I am taking
my majors, the more I see that the purpose of my studying is for the whole of agriculture and
that there are choices which students such as I would make which can have lasting effects in
our case, in the field of agriculture. It is imperative that we learn how to observe and analyze
rightly so that we can make the right decisions. With this exercise, the analysis of a certain farm
such as ours in Leyte can have rippling effects when interventions and solutions are
implemented because there are a lot of farming communities that grow coconuts and even
practice multiple or intercropping. Introducing solutions and innovations to farms that grow the
same crop, such as us, would help us come up with a basic module that can serve and help
communities who are also growing coconuts. This module would serve as a tweak-able
module wherein they can modify it according to their area and the resources that are available.

References
Crop Farming Review. (n.d.). Crop Farming Review. Retrieved November 21, 2012, from
http://www.cropsreview.com/climate-types.html