The members of the JICA Survey Team who are here now are Mr. Tatsuya Ieizumi, Co-Team Leader, Mr. Hitohiro Sakurai, ICT Expert and Mr. Hideaki Hiruta, Agriculture Extension Expert.

Mr. Ieizumi said they are gathering data on how to utilize ICT to improve irrigation water management and extend agriculture extension services.  The survey generally intends to form programs or projects which JICA can provide assistance.

Mr. Isidro R. Digal, local consultant on irrigation water management for JICA, said that Sta. Barbara RIS was chosen to be the pilot area because there is a big potential area for improvement in the system.

There is a proposed project for Sta. Barbara RIS under the National Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation and Improvement Project and the JICA is considering the application of ICT as a combination project for NISRIP.

“The ICT component may accelerate the approval for NISRIP”, Mr. Hiruta said.

The Aganan-Sta. Barbara RIS Federation of Irrigators’ Associations has previously received assistance from JICA to improve its post harvest facilities. It now boasts operating one of the largest post-harvest facilities in the nation.

The JICA Team will meet today with National Irrigation Administration Regional Manager Gerardo P. Corsiga and Engr. Florencio P. Colorado, Division Manager for Iloilo-Guimaras Irrigation Management Office to discuss the dynamics of the survey.

JICA is hoping to finish the survey by March next year and if considered, the ICT project will be implemented in 2014. (Sunshine B. Jamero)

The Magballo-Balicotoc-Canlamay Dam a few months before completion

The Magballo Dam features an integrated scheme of pump irrigation, river diversions and reservoir storage that will serve 556 hectares of diversified farms in the hinterlands of Ilog and Kabankalan City. It will tap water from three rivers namely, Binalawan River, Magballo River, Tabla River, and two creeks, the Isam Creek and Balicotoc Creek. It aims to benefit 554 households.

Other than the irrigation component, the project, which is one of the non-core subprojects of the Southern Philippines Irrigation Sector Project (SPISP), has a livelihood program for the affected families which include sugarcane production, carabao raising, cattle fattening and swine production. Also included in the project implementation was the resettlement of the affected families as well as watershed management. Total cost for these environmental and social measures was about Php56.6 million. Infrastructure cost, on the other hand, was more than Php278 million.

The inauguration and turn over ceremonies will be graced by Negros Occidental governor, Alfredo Marañon, Jr., Congresswoman Mercedes Alvarez, Mayor John Paul Alvarez of the Municipality of Ilog and Mayor Isidro Zayco of Kabankalan City. Officials of NIA Region VI headed by Regional Manager Gerardo P. Corsiga and NIA Negros Occidental chief, Engr. Joel A. Basiao will also attend the occasion.//shinebjamero

San Jose, Antique – NIA-Antique personnel now gears up in preparation for the Irrigated Rice Production Enhancement Program in Antique. IRPEP will be implemented in January 2012 and NIA is now working to complete the detailed engineering plans for the irrigation projects.

Engr. Jesus L. Dato-on, Division Manager of Antique Irrigation Management Office, hopes to finish the preparation of the detailed engineering activities such as surveying, design the program of works for each of the 60 CIS as planned.

The IRPEP will be funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Under the 70-20-10 cost sharing scheme, the national government thru IFAD will allocate 182 Million; Gov. Exequiel B. Javier and son Cong. Everardo Paolo Javier, meanwhile will provide the 20% counterpart for the province of Antique in the amount of P52 Million. The municipal government units covered by the project will share P26 Million.

“The municipal mayors welcome the project and its counter-parting schemes”, said Engr. Jesus L. Dato-on, Division Manager or Antique Irrigation Management Office. “Most have already included provisions for IRPEP in their Annual Investment Plans for 2012”, he added. Other municipalities will prepare a supplemental budget plan to avail of the project.

The projects aim to restore and rehabilitation of 60 communal irrigation systems in 15 municipalities of Antique.//

BAROTAC VIEJO, ILOILO – Construction of access roads for the Barotac Viejo Small Reservoir Irrigation Project is now on-going. Thanks to the local government headed by Mayor Niel Tupas III, who agreed to construct the access roads for the project. To date, it has already accomplished 2.3 km out of the 3.93 km planned length.

on going operations for the construction of access roads of BVSRIP

The completion of the access road is vital to the convenient delivery of materials and heavy equipment for the SRIP. After construction, the access roads shall be utilized as part of the road network for the public and farmers.

THE BVSRIP has a total project cost of Php 495 million. It will be located in Brgy. Nueva Invencion, Barotac Viejo and it hopes to benefit two adjacent towns, Barotac Viejo and Banate.

The project features a 29 m-high earth-fill dam and a reservoir with a storage capacity of 13.833 mcm. It will also include irrigation canals and structures and access roads. This project will generate new areas of about 532 has. and will rehabilitate existing irrigated areas of 1,709 has.

Engr. Florencio Colorado, Division Manager of Iloilo-Guimaras Irrigation Management Office is happy with the developments. “We are very grateful to the support of the local government to NIA. This project will improve the socio-economic condition of our farmers in the area as it will improve the irrigation services and boost the local economy”, he said. The partnership of NIA, LGU and Irrigators’ Associations as well as other stakeholders is vital in the realization of these goals”, he added.

The BVSRIP is one of the major projects of NIA under the 10-year Accelerated Irrigation Development program of the national government. SRIPs are multi-oriented projects which require the construction of medium size dams and appurtenant structures to impound water during wet seasons to provide year-round irrigation to farm lands. The BVSRIP is hoped to be completed in three years.//

MAAYON, CAPIZ – Maayon Communal  Irrigation Project  Phase I  started implementation last February 2011 and to date, over 50% is accomplished.  Out of the target length of 1,170 meters close conduit, 710 meters is completed.  The 4.8 km road is now gravelled and already passable both during rainy and sunny days.  The condition of the 2-kilometer foot-walk to the damsite has also been improved and the siphon from Brgy. Batabat to Brgy. Ilawod has been constructed.

Concerns on right of way have also slowly been settled. NIA has already paid 13 landowners amounting to P715,440.00. The agency will soon settle the remaining 14 landowners with claims amounting to P2.2M.

Assessment of crop damages in Brgy. Carataya is still on-going. NIA, however, is paying the cost of the crops damaged for the on-going construction, and not the value of the land.

NIA will also pay for damages to the landowners of about 13.61 hectares, who were totally submerged by the backwater of the dam. The payment will include cost of displaced livelihood.

The Maayon CIP, when completed in 2012, has a potential irrigable area of 780 hectares benefiting 874 farmers. It has an approved funding of around P186M for CY 2011-2012. //

Rainy season is dengue season.

Fast facts first

As of August 2011, there are 301 dengue cases with three deaths in the province of Iloilo. There are 16 new cases from July 30 – August 6, 2011. DOH reported that there were 63,741 dengue cases from January to September this year with 373 deaths in the whole Philippines. A 27.08 percent drop from 87,409 cases and 586 deaths in the same period last year. (Iloilo Provincial Health Office)

What is dengue?

Dengue  is a viral disease maintained in nature cycles that involved preferred blood-sucking vectors and vertebrate hosts. It is an acute illness that usually strikes people with low immunity, thus, it is more common in infants and young children. Women are more at risk than men and a life threatening to those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma. Dengue carrying mosquitoes also known as Aedes Aegypti prefer to lay its eggs in artificial water containers and to live near humans.

The virus is not contagious and only spread in person-to-mosquito-to-another-person process. When a mosquito carrying dengue virus bites a person, the virus enters the skin together with mosquito’s saliva. It binds and enters white blood cells and reproduces while they move throughout the body. The white blood cells respond by producing a number of signaling proteins which are responsible for the flu-like symptoms and severe pain. When the virus infection inside the body increases many more organs such as liver and bone marrow can be affected that leads to reduced number of platelets and increases the risk of blood clotting or bleeding.

Symptoms and simple solutions

The common symptoms of dengue include sudden fever, headache (behind the eyes), muscle and joint pains and a bright red rash. This disease can be fatal if unrecognized and not properly treated immediately that may cause death of the affected person. But with proper knowledge about this disease we can prevent it from spreading. Cleaning our surroundings is one of the simplest ways. Another way is by using insect repellant lotion and mosquito nets when at rest.

Too many lives have already been lost. Let’s not wait for a fatality due to dengue within our family before we start cleaning our own backyard.//

References:

Wikipedia The Daily Guardian Department of Health

“I am just a farmer.” This is the typical response by the members of various Irrigators’ Associations when asked to describe themselves – JUST a farmer. But they are not. They’re our heroes in a truest sense because they secure the food in each household’s table.

Can you imagine the care, labor and sweat poured from planting, harvesting to milling these golden grains and be served as one cup of steamed rice on our plate?  Yet, those hands who tilled and labored in the farm are sometimes left with nothing after selling their produce to pay off their debts incurred due to high cost of pre- and postharvest production coupled with low productivity.

The fact that rice is one of our staple food items, our national programs now focused on achieving rice self-sufficiency by 2013. This means that we will not rely on imported rice anymore and our farmers will have enough supply of rice remained for their household consumption. This will be achieved by improving their productivity and reducing their post harvest losses.

In response to these goals, the Department of Agriculture and PhilMech conducted Agri-Pinoy  briefing attended by 66 Irrigators’ Associations (represented by their IA Presidents) and 19 IDOs from the four (4) national irrigation systems covered by Iloilo-Guimaras IMO on July 19 at Iloilo Grand Tower. After the successful briefing, the following number of IAs submitted project proposals to avail the Farm and Postharvest Mechanization Program of DA that includes hand tractor, thresher, combine harvester and flatbed dryer, among others:

ASBRIS – 9 IAs; SRIS -  1   ; JSRIS -  3      ;  and BVRIS – 4

“I’m thankful that I have joined the IA because I was given the chance to attend this orientation. For sure, we avail these farm mechanization facilities and equipment so that aside from irrigation, our IA will extend agri-support services to our members. This project will also be a source of income to sustain the activities of our association,” said by Ireneo Palisada, IA President of Mesibag IA (JSRIS).

Considered an agricultural country, it is but apt to focus our national programs on irrigation/agricultural development.   Farming generates economic activities in the rural area and the farmers provide for our food security.

Can you imagine a life without the farmers? I can’t. Simply because they are not just farmers.

Grace loves rainy days.  It’s the season when she and husband Juanito do not need to pump water from surrounding irrigation canals to grow their rice. The National Irrigation Administration does not charge them with irrigation service fee but they spend about Php4,000 for pumping alone in their half-hectare rice farm during dry  seasons.  So when they heard that their land is included in the target area for irrigation through a ram pump, Grace couldn’t contain her joy.

“Hay salamat, matapos na ang malawig nga panahon nga ang irigasyon nagalabay lamang sa amon uma, makaangkon na gid man kami sang iya serbisyo (Oh, thank you, after a long period of time, we can now benefit from irrigation canal that passes through our farms),” she exclaimed.

A ram pump is a two-moving parts device that utilizes the energy contained in a free flowing water.  It does not need fuel or electricity to work, instead uses the force of large amount of moving water situated above the ram to pump water to a desired elevation. It needs a minimum head or drop of one meter between the source and ram to apply the technology.  The principle of the ram is conversion of velocity into pressure.

ram pumps created by AIDFI

The ram pumps will be supplied by the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI), a non-government organization based in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. It was founded by Dutch Auke Idzenga and Leonidas Baterna in 1991.

AIDFI has been in ram pumps for over 20 years. It has perfected a model based on local available parts and spare parts.  It runs its own shop and fabricates ram pumps of different flow rates. Flow rate varies from 15 to 1300 liters/minute depending on the size of the ram pump. AIDFI has a pool of experienced ram technicians and had installed hundreds of ram pumps here and abroad.

The ram pumps will be initially installed in Lateral A of Bago River Irrigation System.  This will serve as a pilot project in delivering irrigation water to highland areas along canal system.

After pilot testing, this technology will be introduced in other irrigation systems as another measure towards rice self sufficiency program of the government. This measure was initiated by Regional Manager Gerardo P. Corsiga, Division Manager Joel A. Basiao of Negros Occidental Irrigation Management Office and Engr. Jonel B. Borres of NIA Regional Office.

With this technology, same opportunities for better irrigation can now be enjoyed by hundreds of farmers, other than Grace and Juanito. Their farm location, which lies above canal elevation and is unfortunately known as the sacrificed area, will finally have a bounty harvest to look forward to.

Dental care or oral hygiene is sometimes one of the most neglected form of health care. It’s simply keeping the mouth and teeth clean in order to prevent cavities, gum disease, and other dental disorders but we take it for granted until we experience toothache.

Dental disorder occurs when bacteria invade the gums, bones and tissue that support the teeth. Gingivitis is one of the most common oral diseases that can make our gums inflamed and usually appears shiny. An individual who have gingivitis usually experiences bleeding and itching of gums. Tooth decay or cavity is also an oral disease which is the most common cause of tooth pain. Studies found that people with dental disorders have twice the chance of fatal heart disease, and experts believe that bacteria from chronic gum infection enter the bloodstream and cause white blood cells to release materials that create a build-up of fatty deposits and clots in the arteries.

Oral problems can be serious. However, they can be prevented by maintaining a good oral hygiene which can be done by following:

1. Brush your teeth at least twice daily
2. Use a Dental Floss
3. Use of Mouth Washes
4. Eating right
5. Avoid in between eating habits
6. Avoid Cola and Energy Drinks
7. Quit Smoking
8. Chewing Sugar free Gum
9. Regular visits to your Dentist
10. Avoid Oral Piercings

Healthy teeth and gums reflect a healthy personality. Let us all take good care of our teeth so we could show off that toothy smile and our healthy personality. Remember, a toothy smile never fails to lighten up a room and someone else’s life.

References:

www.dentalhealthsite.com

www.oralcareindia.com

www.medicinenet.com

For some reason, water comes to mind when I see or hear the word oasis. It connotes life, something that refreshes and keeps one active. In reality, oasis is actually a fertile or green area in a desert; a haven or sanctuary where one can take refuge or escape from something.

For Japok, it’s where he gets his daily supply of food to survive.

Japok in his OASIS

Japok, whose real name is Franz Jason Baltazar, is a young farmer-entrepreneur in Brgy. Cabuluan, Oton, Iloilo and the incumbent president of MACABITU Irrigators’Association. He’s a mechanical engineering graduate and has worked for a private mobile phone service contractor for a few years.  When his contract ended, he decided to venture into agriculture because of one simple reason.  “Nahadlok ko magutom, amo na nanguma ako (I was afraid to go hungry, so I decided to farm)”, he said.

He named his two-hectare land OASIS, an acronym which stands for Organic and Sustainable Intercrop System. The OASIS grows about everything that you would need on top of your table: rice, fish, fruits, vegetables and a wide variety of meat.

There are pigs, at least 38 of them, a hundred chickens and 300 chicks, several ducks, four goats and a cow. As you roam around the area, you can hear a mix of squealing as the pigs demand for food, the quack-quacks of the ducks and the endless excited chuckles of the chickens. The goats say meh-meh once in a while, maybe just to let you know that they are somewhere there. It was the music of life. 

Japok started his farm empty-handed, equipped only with a will to survive. He did not know anything about agriculture so the farm became his own school.  “Three years nga eskuela ko sa farming, sa tawo, te three years man nga pamirde ko eh, isipon mo na lang nga tuition (fee) (I studied farming for three years from other people, so I was not gaining profit for three years. Think of it as payment for tuition)”, he said.

Japok had no background in agriculture. He started empty-handed and depended on his uncle for capital and guidance. Indi ka magsalig sa ginapamunitan ko (don’t depend on what I have fished)”, his uncle told him. Tuon ka man pamunit (learn to fish)”, he added.

And so Japok learned. He learned not to make money but ideas. “”Ang kuarta madula, but ang idea indi (Money will disappear, but ideas won’t)”, he said.

His farm grew as his ideas expanded. His first project was the tropical coy fish.

Coy and tilapia in a pond

Later, he ventured into tilapia breeding, mainly to keep the coy in good condition. The tilapia cleans the wounds of the coy, I learned. Later he grew pigs and expanded coy breeding utilizing the waste from the pig pens to the ponds.

It sounds toxic, but Japok explained that the kangkong and water lily in the ponds filter the toxins, so in the end, the residue can be eaten by the fishes.

I was learning bits of practical science as I talked to him.

It took a great amount of discipline to grow the OASIS. Japok recalls not eating chicken for three years until it grew into a large flock. He started from five hens and a rooster, which he bought from his neighbour to keep them from eating his rice plantation. Now, he supplies about 50-100 chickens each month for the Breakthrough Restaurant, a popular restaurant serving seafood and native dishes in Arevalo, Iloilo City.

Japok supplies 50-100 chickens each month for Breakthrough, a popular restaurant in Iloilo City

The OASIS is an efficient system of integrated farming. The pigs are fed not only with grower feeds but with chicken meat from Japok’s own flock. Same goes with the catfish, though they are fed with grower floaters a month before harvest. The chickens feed directly from the miniature rice paddy built straight out from the pigpens. It is covered with protecting nets to secure the chickens inside. There are also pepper plants everywhere, for the chickens to peck on when they are sick. It takes very minimal cost growing everything in the OASIS. Japok believes in “being productive without expenses”, he said.

vermicomposts are everywhere in the OASIS

There are also vermicomposts everywhere: at the corners of the ponds, under the banana and papaya plants, inside the pigpens and even beneath the ground of the goats’ small house. Vermicomposts are excellent organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.

Japok started OASIS with the sole reason of protecting himself from hunger. But now, he has more than enough to keep his stomach full. He manages to pay his bills from the sale of his bananas, buy clothing and personal stuff from his hogs and poultry, and travel using the income from the fishes. He once used a bike to go in and out his farm, but now, he is a proud owner of several vehicles to help him become more efficient and productive.

Japok calls his own accounting system as the Calendar Method

Without any background in accounting, he innovated his own system, the “calendar method” where he records all transactions and income in a calendar. Later, the Department of Agriculture encouraged him to use proper bookkeeping.

He earns more than enough from his poultry, hogs and fish production, yet, like a true and wise farmer, he will not give up on rice production. He needs it for consumption, he says.

As much as he has learned from other people, Japok is also willing to share his technology to others. Being the president of the MACABITU IA, he now encourages his members to go into integrated farming.

“Slice ka gamay nga portion para sa integrated (farming). Ngaa mahadlok ka bi mag slice sang isa ka portion sa uma mo nga butangan mo sang lalaswahon mo, poultry mo? Ti subong ginahimo na nila (You slice a small portion from your land for integrated farming. Why would you be afraid to slice a portion of your land to dedicate it for your vegetables and poultry? So now they are doing it already)”, he explains.

Japok and his members plan to build a “bagsakan area” where they can gather all their products from rice, poultry and vegetables. Japok had volunteered to help market their products to encourage them on the project. As of now, about four members have started to replicate what Japok had started.

The OASIS grew without any financial assistance from institutions or agencies. Its roots stemmed from a farmer’s desire to avoid getting hungry; discipline and patience made it grow into a successful means to combat poverty and hunger not only for Japok, but slowly, for the community surrounding him. It is living proof that a cheap yet sustainable, organic solution can be made feasible, contrary to the general belief that it takes a huge amount of capital for one to get started and rise above poverty.

As it happened for Japok, may the OASIS expand to serve as a model sanctuary of food sufficiency to others.