Batanes, Philippines’ Go Organic program seeks to honor the Ivatan way of farming and also sustain the food sufficiency in the island.
The provincial government of Batanes shared on social media on August 17, 2020, the breath-taking view of Multi-Commodity Organic Farm established at the famous Naidi Hills, Basco – the province’s capital.
Batanes, which was featured on Travel and Leisure Southeast Asia in 2019, has declared a total lockdown since the onslaught of the virus and opted to strengthen its farming program that was launched in 2018 for sustainable food sufficiency.
The sea-view farm at Naidi Hills has already produced more than 20 tons of agricultural products such as sweet potato, corn, watermelon, and a variety of vegetables.
The province also aims to exhibit the traditional farming systems which represent the ingenuity and resiliency of the Ivatan people that highlight new agri-technologies that are suitable in a harsh climate.
These are the Ivatan ways of farming and 100% organic:
- Crop rotation – growing different types of produce on the same land during different seasons.
- Fallowing – the land is plowed and tilled but left unseeded (giving it time to rest and restore nutrients), or for grazing cattle. This system enables the maintenance of soil health.
- Water harvesting – Ivatans make the most of the rain by having rain collectors instead of constructing expensive irrigation systems. Spring water and deep wells are their other sources of water.
- Delineation of areas – the stone houses of Ivatans are separated from farming areas, effectively preventing unintended contamination of crops from household chemicals.
- Planting of typhoon-resistant crops – Because typhoons can ruin any good harvest above ground, the Ivatans focus on planting root crops such as sweet potato, garlic, shallots, and onions.
“This organic farm will be open as an agro-tourism site for tourists in the near future,” the provincial government shared.
Batanes-born Filipino artist-activist Pacita Abad was honored by Google with a Doodle on July 31, as she received the Philippines’ prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men award.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to the people of Batanes for honoring Ivatan ways of farming and sustaining food sufficiency through the Go Organic program.
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