COTABATO
CITY, Oct 22 (PNA) -- The agrarian reform department in the Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is pushing for natural farming system in an effort to
encourage the agriculture sector to venture into chemical-free agri products,
officials said today.
To
capacitate rice farmers, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR-ARMM) and the
provincial agrarian reform office held a two-day Natural Farming System
Training in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao Friday.
The
training provided agrarian reform beneficiaries in the province an opportunity
to develop their own farming plans.
Before
the training proper started, the rationale and objectives of the activity was
explained by Rebecca R. Bautista of the DAR-ARMM regional office.
Noemi
P. Barretto also of DAR-ARMM, training leader, explained that natural farming
system, specifically the ‘EMExtended’ and “Bokashi,” harness natural
fertilization to achieve cost-efficient and environment-friendly crop
production.
EM
stands for Effective Microorganisms as coined and created by Dr. Terou Higa of
Japan, Barreto said. On the other hand, "Bokashi" is a Japanese word
which means “fermented organic matter,” she added.
Under
the EM Extended system, a one-liter bottle of fertilizer contains molasses and
three major types of microorganisms such as photosynthetic bacteria, lactic
acid bacteria, and yeasts.
Bokashi
composting involves an anaerobic process that relies on inoculated bran to
ferment organic material in a tightly closed container.
