THERE must be clear measures and guidelines for the effective utilization of soil and water resources to attain food security and safety in the country, including environmental stability.
This was even emphasized by Senator Cynthia A. Villar during the recent anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM).
The main mandate of the BSWM, which is under the Department of Agriculture (DA), is to formulate necessary measures and appropriate guidelines to address environmental concerns such as land degradation, climate change, and agricultural biodiversity conservation.
As we all probably know, soil is very important in order to attain maximum crop productivity, and water is equally important, as it provides irrigation to the farmlands.
Even DA secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol emphasized that there are three factors needed for successful agriculture and greater productivity – soil, sunlight, and water.
“The issue boils down to the availability of one very important factor in agriculture – water, and how efficiently we exploit and manage this very important resource,” he said.
“We have the land, but the issue is providing water there. So, we must think out of the box,” he added.
As this developed, Piñol is pushing for the adoption of the solar-powered irrigation system (SPIS) in the country, which he explained, is much cheaper, faster to put up, allows more rice cropping, and makes rice sufficiency attainable.
Saying that the present conventional system is not enough to supply the country’s farm irrigation needs.
One SPIS facility which has been implemented by the DA is the Caridad Norte and Sur Solar Irrigation System in the municipality of Llanera in Nueva Ecija, which is said to be the “first and biggest” of its kind in Luzon.
The project was completed through the efforts of DA-RFO 3 and constructed and installed by Bacolod City-based R.U. Foundry and Machine Shop Corporation (RUFMSC).
The facility is composed of some 140 Lorentz solar panels, a 40-horsepower Lorentz submersible pump, state-of-the-art electronic control devices, highly-reliable flow meter gauge, concrete storage tank, and irrigation distribution pipelines.
The BSWM is also involved in the implementation of small-scale (solar) irrigation projects through the technical assistance they extend to small water irrigation system associations in all the regions.
Solar-powered irrigation systems are designed to help the farmers in the remote areas to irrigate their farmland, which will eventually increase their production during the dry months.
The BSWM, a staff bureau under the DA, is in-charge for the effective and efficient utilization of two vital resources – soil and water.
The BSWM is the only government agency mandated to formulate measures and guidelines for the effective utilization of soils and water resources as vital agricultural resources to attain food security and safety, environmental stability through soil and water resources-based adaptation and mitigation measures that address multi-environmental concerns on land degradation, climate change, and agricultural biodiversity conservation.
When soil and water for agriculture is affected, it will also have a so-called chain reaction, and will also affect many other sectors, and ultimately the lives of the people. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
