[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’ ‘Boost income via organic farming’’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
BY MERIANNE GARCE EREÑETA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Friday, December 23, 2016
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – Try organic farming, Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog encouraged his constituents.
Organic farming can augment people’s livelihood and its products are good for the health, he explained.
“Gina-observe naton ang Do Day every Saturday. Ang next naton nga i-promote after the Do Day is (organic) gardening,” said Mabilog.
Organic farming is a method of crop and livestock production which does not use pesticides, chemical fertilizers and pharmaceuticals.
Mabilog said the city government will provide non-chemical fertilizers to residents.
“Ang (organic) fertilizer libre man halin sa Calajunan (dumpsite),” he said.
For this program, the city government will seek support of Agriculture secretary Manny Piñol and Undersecretary Evelyn Piñol, said Mabilog.
Republic Act 100068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 believes that organic agriculture will “cumulatively condition and enrich the fertility of the soil, increase farm productivity, reduce pollution and destruction of the environment, prevent the depletion of natural resources, further protect the health of farmers, consumers, and the general public, and save on imported farm inputs. The State recognizes and supports the central role of the farmers, indigenous people and other stakeholders at the grassroots in this program.”
According to Joby Mayordomo Arandela, chairman of the Zarraga Integrated Diversified Organic Farmers Association (ZIDOFA), the switch to organic farming means safer and healthier farm produce.
“The nutritional benefits of organic food have been its main selling point to the health-conscious consumer and scientific evidence has shown that organic food do contain more nutrients than their inorganic counterparts that also have high levels of pesticide residues and toxic cadmium in them,” he said.
Arandela also said non-chemical farming is safe.
“Small farm landholdings usually involve family members helping each other out. Chemical-based agriculture involves the spraying and application of chemicals,” Arandela said. “By going organic, the fields are safer to work with and the eventual health benefits of this would mean less or no exposure to toxic chemicals.”
Mabilog instructed the city agriculturist to give vegetable seedlings to those who would like to plant vegetables in their backyards./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
