Fourth Week Report on the Mabuhay Agritech Mission Project in Iloilo, Philippines

September 18, 2023

To:          Mike Stanley, Missions Committee, Westminster Presbyterian Church

From:    Zonia Velasco, Mabuhay Fellowship, Mabuhay Agritech Mission in Iloilo, Philippines

Activity continues with the students completing the rest of their plots, testing the soil, amending the soil and covering with plastic mulch.  The germinated seedlings have been transferred to some of the plots that are ready, and daily surveillance of the newly planted seedling are done.  Individual sprayers to contain exactly 1 liter of their prepared baking soda pesticide/fungicide so that each individual student will be responsible for mixing and replenishing its contents for use on their garden beds to control pests, etc.  We are also in the process of purchasing more germination trays.  We have budgeted for 10 trays of 105 holes each.  This will enable them to germinate 1050 seeds at one time. 

They continue to also take care of their vermicompost sheds, chopping pieces of banana stalks daily as they see that the worms are eating them faster now.  They see this each time they aerate the vermicompost. They have more worms doing the job for them now.  Yet, they have not made enough vermicompost to harvest yet.

In addition to their work of preparing and planting their vegetable plots, they are also preparing the soil around the “bahay kubo”(small bamboo hut) where they will plant their pollinator flowers, and citronella.  This to attract more pollinators into the farm. The citronella is to help reduce mosquito and flies, and prevent snakes from coming into the planting areas. 

So this week and the coming week, their activity will still be on the vegetable beds, keeping up with more germination, vermicompost beds – feeding and aerating.  Their plan is to plant their fields with the germinated tomatoes, eggplants, okra, peppers.  They have added vine plants to their chosen vegetables.  They chose cucumbers, bitter melon, long beans, squash, etc.  They have just received new seeds from the US which I had sent – on pickling cucumbers, and bigger sized tomatoes.  We will see if these will adapt to the tropical climate.  They have also cut more bamboo logs from the farm bamboo clumps to use as vine trailers.

We have a few problems with fungus, and an inspector from the DA (Department of Agriculture) who visited the farm, wanted us to bring plant and soil samples to the provincial capital laboratory to find out the type of fungus, so they could recommend treatment.  The bananas and dragon fruit have been attacked by the fungus, and we do not want it to spread to the vegetables the students are planting.  These samples were brought to the lab last week, and it will take them at least 10 days to give us the results.   

We have also acquired 10 new cacao seedlings, which they will be planting in the future to fulfill their requirement for planting trees.  We are in the process of buying and procuring more tree seedlings for future planting requirements, We have ordered 4 batuan, 2 lanzones, and 4 rambutan trees.  We are also sourcing some coffee robusta seedlings, and more cacao trees may still be coming also.  But to plant cacao and coffee, we also have to plant more banana trees with them to give them shade as they are peculiar about needing a shady or a mottled shady area.  We will be planting more banana trees with them also.

This week was also busy with them expanding their vegetable area, hence extending fenced areas, and cleaning the area of brush and wild vines.  They are also rooting moringa branches which they had pruned from the mother plants.  Goal is to plant as many as 100 new moringa trees and give some of the rooted branches to households nearby for their own gardens. 

Pond #2 is being emptied of water this week, as it had turned green because of algae.  Their goal is to empty it first, then scraping the walls of this algae, but the continuous daily rain has hampered their efforts. This pond contains gathered rainwater and is used to water their gardens in the elevated areas which is far from the well at the bottom of the hill.  We have pumps, but it does not reach that far. Suggestions to clarify the water included input of chlorine and other chemical pond clarifiers, but so far the best suggestion is still organic. Plant lotus inside, and the lotus roots will clarify the muddy water, and control algae.  Also add tilapia fish as they will feed on the algae on the sides of the ponds.  This is still being considered currently. Our Lotus Pond #1 has lotus growing in it, and 2 tilapia fish which were 2 inch fish when we caught them from the nearby creek last year.  The water in this pond is very clear.  The fish has grown to about 8 inches, but they want them to stay in the pond as they also control mosquito larvae.  The area is endemic for dengue currently, and we are trying to control our standing water to avoid mosquito growth and population.  The lotus pond is also attracting dragonflies, frogs and other lizards that control our flying insect population.  Result is, there is hardly any mosquitoes and flies around the area.   

I will be attending a conference on butterfly farming in Oklahoma this week, and we will use that knowledge and information to develop our pollinator areas in the farm.  The students are scratching their heads, as this is their first time to hear that flowers planted near their vegetables will help attract the pollinators that will make their vegetables be more productive.  They thought they will only plant vegetables, and now flowers also?

Their schedule is still the same, early morning to a break between 12-2 when the sun is at its zenith and is hottest since we are almost by the equator. They cook their own lunch and have a short siesta immediately after.  They cook their own food, and we have just provided them with 2 sacks of rice that will hopefully last until the end of their training.

This is our report for Week 4 of the Mabuhay Agritech Training Program in Iloilo, Philippines as sponsored by Westminster.

Sincerely yours,

Sgd.  Zonia Velasco

Mabuhay Project and Mission Director