MODEL FARMER. NCII Honorio S. Cervantes showing his book to the Visiting Trainees. Photo by Frank E. Dosdos, Jr
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By Frank E. Dosdos, Jr.
Correspondent

ILIGAN City — Trainees of the season-long agri-business course offered free by Marjeuries House, an accredited Learning Site of the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI), at barangay Santa Filomena, this City, visited other learning sites in Misamis Oriental over the weekend.

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Grace Halibas of Marjeuries House led the group on an Asenso Iliganon vehicle provided by Congressman Frederick Siao of the Lone District of Iligan, to Buhian Integrated Farm in Barangay Apas, Initao and Colansi Farm in Kalabaylabay, El Salvador, Misamis Oriental and the Cervantes Urban Vegetable Garden in Barangay Pagatpat, Cagayan de Oro City.

At the Buhian Farm, the Trainees, were toured around the Ginger Farm, Azola ponds, Duck Farm, Chicken Laying and Growing Houses, Mushroom Growing House, Pig Pens and briefed on the forage plants like Flemingia, Rensona, Madre de Agua and some medicinal herbs.

Farmhands at Buhian Farms demonstrated to the trainees the preparation of Poultry and Hog Feeds using indigenous and organic materials such as ground yellow corn and limestone, corn and rice brans, proteinich leaves such as malunggay, madre de agua, kangkong and additives like molasses.

In Kalabaylabay, El Salvador Vegetable Farmer Marcos Colansi, related how he learned vegetable farming and earn an average of P4,000 weekly from his pechay and eggplants produced in a 265 square meter piece of land.

Retired Senior Supt. and now NCII Agri-Trainer Honorio S. Cervantes of the Cervantes Urban Garden in Pagatpat, Cagayan de Oro City, showed his tomatoes, lettuce, lemons, green onions, lemon grass, raddish, cucumbers, squash and other vegetables grown in a residential lot less than 400 square meters.

He also explained how he prepared the garden soil (mixture of compost, carbonized rice hulls, animal manure, chicken dung and other materials) sitting acidity level at 6.5 ph or below.

Already, he has acquired grinding mills and other equipment for the production of garden soil which has now become an urban commodity.

He said that his garden soil is free from seeds of weeds thus preventing competition with plants in the nutrient utilization.

He also demonstrated the 1 square foot-planting space that accommodate as many plants as desired: 1 tomato per square foot, 16 raddish, pechay and similar plants and other dimensions depending on the kind of plant grown

He also showed a copy of his book, “Agriculture Square Foot Urban Gardening” which is not yet available in the market.

It was learned that all the Farmers and Farms visited were receivers of Farmer of Year and Farm of the Year Awards from the ATI.

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