PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 25 May) — A sustainable soil health fertilization program by the provincial government of Agusan del Sur will help keep the province out of the “Club 20,” or the 20 poorest provinces in the Philippines, said Dr. James Quilty, General Manager of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).
Quilty and the other Australian experts who arrived with him on Thursday advised provincial officials to continue capacity-building efforts to improve farmers’ living conditions.
“It’s inspiring to know the province of Agusan del Sur has already graduated from the 20 poorest provinces (in the Philippines). I think the province sets an example for the entire country to develop continuously,” he said.
Quilty added that with the investments in the soil health fertilization program, the province will become more resilient and benefit from a profitable cropping system.
ACIAR Chief Executive Officer Professor Wendy Umberger praised the province for its commitment to eradicating poverty by building the capacity of its people, with strong government investment and partnership with the Australian government.
Umberger highlighted their ongoing commitment to capacity-building programs to develop human capabilities, bringing skilled individuals back to the province to lead the soils laboratory and investing in agriculture to uplift the province.
She noted that while agriculture can significantly drive the economy, it requires people skilled in the latest innovations and management techniques.
Top provincial officials have been advancing efforts to enhance soil health development, integrating it as a crucial element of the province’s centerpiece Upland Sustainable Agroforestry Development (USAD) program. This initiative aims to bolster agricultural productivity in the province.
Gov. Santiago Cane Jr. said the provincial government has already conducted soil health fertilization, leading to higher yield and lower production cost.
He was referring to field trials conducted in the four towns of Agusan del Sur that have surpassed the national average for palay production.
The experiment is part of the USAD program’s soil test fertilization project.
In the towns of Loreto and Trento, at the provincial capitol complex in Barangay Patin-ay in Prosperidad, and Bayugan City, the yield per hectare of palay (unhusked rice) increased from 3.6 tons to an average of 5.6 tons after implementing the USAD trial, said Dr. Johnvie Goloran, a soil scientist from Griffith University in Australia who hails from Agusan del Sur.
Last month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Agusan del Sur announced that the province had graduated from the list of the 20 poorest provinces in the country.
Demetrio Dejolde Jr., supervising statistical specialist and officer-in-charge of PSA Agusan del Sur, reported that the poverty incidence in the province had dropped to 25.9 percent from 39.6 percent in 2021. In 2021, Agusan del Sur was ranked as the fifth poorest province in the country.
According to the “2023 First Semester Official Poverty Statistics of Agusan del Sur,” 191,496 individuals from 48,000 families, or 25.9 percent of the province’s 739,367 population, are now living below the poverty line.
This shows a significant improvement compared to the 2021 results, where 358,030 individuals, or 39.6 percent of the population, were living below the poverty line.
Dejolde attributed the decline to more employment opportunities and increased entrepreneurial activities in the agriculture sector.
Quilty said the ACIAR and the Australian government are committed to continuing their development partnership with the provincial government of Agusan del Sur, which has been ongoing for the last 10 years.
ACIAR initially visited Agusan del Sur on October 11 last year for an in-depth review of the USAD program.
The visit included Australian Deputy Ambassador to the Philippines James Yeomans, Quilty, and Australian Embassy Political Second Secretary Alexander O’Hara, marking progress in implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippines and Australia. The MOU focuses on a “National Soil Health Strategy” aimed at elevating production levels within the country’s agricultural lands.
Second District Rep. Adolph Edward Plaza said the MOU aligns harmoniously with the USAD program, which he conceived while serving as governor after Typhoon Pablo in December 2012.
USAD was recognized in the Galing Pook Awards 2021 as one of the Top 10 Outstanding Local Governance Programs in the country.
The Australian delegation also visited the P250-million state-of-the-art soils laboratory at the provincial government center.
Goloran, a consultant on the soil health development program, noted that the laboratory can conduct physical, chemical, and biological characterization of soils using advanced analytical capabilities. It can analyze 50-100 samples per day, with test results released within two to three days, and can handle soils, plants, water, fertilizer, and gas samples.
In a press conference, Quilty remarked that soil health is not a short-term fix and advised farmers to adopt new practices, noting that it takes time for soil to recover. “Invest in your soil that will sow returns for your hardships,” he said.
The visiting Australian experts also held a breakout session with USAD program farmer leaders after a speaking engagement at the Farmers Forum on Rubber-based Farming Technologies. (Chris V. Panganiban/MindaNews)
