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Bahay Malaumon Farmers Association (BMFA) Orientation on Block Farming by Sugar Regulatory Authority (SRA) Last August 2016.BftW - PDS CCDRR Workshop in manila Last June 21 - 24, 2016Distribution of soccer ball to Students in Mabinay from Feed The Children Philippines (FTCP) a PAGBAG-O partner last July 2016.Redor Emerson & Co. visit to PAGBAG-O area in CAMAMACA in Mabinay, an IP organization of PAGBAG-O last August 2016 with their project " Passing on the Gift".As part of its mission to promote sustainable farming, PAGBAG-O has been looking at the potential for growing mushrooms on its Demo Farm.
After attending a training course in Cebu, a small laboratory was constructed on the Demo farm together with a mushroom house under the training centre. After much practice the experiment proved a great success and PAGBAG-O was able to harvest its first batch of Oyster Angel mushrooms in August 2013. PAGBAG-O now has to master the logistics of growing consistent quantities under very variable climatic conditions. More work needs to be done, but the key is to maintain high humidity in the mushroom house. Production costs are really low and large quantities can be grown in a very small area; the many restaurants in Dumaguete are keen to buy...... PAGBAG-O is pleased to announce that Its Biofertilizer POF is now certified by NICERT (Negros Island Certification Services) This represents an outstanding achievement by the PAGBAG-O team that has been working tirelessly to ensure that the plant, the raw material and the production process all meet the strict organic guidelines set by NICERT. POF becomes the first biofertilizer in Negros Oriental to be certified organic. PAGBAG-O can also report that thanks to a grant form PACAP, the production area has been increased to allow a further 20 tons of POF to be produced per year. That raises the annual capacity of the plant to 60 tons. The photo shows filled sacks ready for sale. Development of the Demo Farm is progressing well. The training centre is now complete, also incorporating a small laboratory and a mushroom growing facility.
First livestock has been introduced (goats) to help "mow" the grass and fertilize the soil! A water tower will shortly be constructed to faciliate gravity fed irrigation for the vegetable crops. Manual watering during the dry summer months is extremely time consuming. A Bamboo Garden has been created to demonstrate a useful technique where soils are poor or more space is needed. Other crops can be planted underneath. A banana plantation provides shade A future show piece for sustainable farming practice in the region. The Biofertilizer production plant has been located in Mabinay, Negros Oriental, on a 0.5 ha piece of farm land that PAGBAG-O is developing into a Demonstration Farm. The goal is to create a show piece for sustainable farming practice in the region. A training centre is being built on the land, a project supported by the Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program. This will provide groups of farmers with a meeting place to discuss and learn, as well as giving them an opportunity to see sustainable farming in practice. “Seeing is Believing” and PAGBAG-O hopes that the farm will become an inspiration for those farmers who want to create a better way of life for themselves and their families. The importance of diversification as a key element of sutainable farming will be emphasised. A variety of crops will be grown, live stock introduced and a fish pond created to help increase protein availability. As well as the biofertilizer plant, vermiculture will also be demonstrated as a way to produce a valuable source of nutrients for the crops. Since returning to Australia, Gemma Schuch, a previous AYAD volunteer with PAGBAG-O, has raised a significant amount of money to help PAGBAG-O to continue developing the Demonstration Farm. PAGBAG- O is enormously grateful for her support and the generosity of the donors. Work is well under way as can be seen by the following photos: PAGBAG-O has succesfully produced its first batch of biofertilizer at the new production plant in Mabinay.
This represents a fantastic effort by all the staff who have enjoyed a hands on experience to achieve a great result. Pictures tell the story! On February 6th 2012, an Earthquake with magnitude 6.9 occurred 72km North of Dumaguete in Negros Oriental. Some of the People's Organizations who are part of the federation of PAGBAG-O were affected. PAGBAG-O undertook an immediate relief effort of distributing food and emergency items. PAGBAG-O will work with other local organizations to provide long-term support and development of the affected communities.
PAGBAG-O welcomes the new Australian Volunteer, Claire Holland this week. Claire is the 5th Australian Volunteer to work with PAGBAG-O and she will be partnering with the Institution Building team. Volunteers are people who are doing work they love, that they are good at and that the world needs.. an EPIC WIN for PAGBAG-O, volunteers and the People of Negros Oriental.
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