Army official learning organic farming techniques

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 30): Army official learning organic farming techniques

A top official of the Philippine Army in Negros Occidental is learning organic farming techniques by visiting two modern-integrated farms in the province.

Capt. Leo Christopher Cunanan, civil military operations of the 303rd Infantry Brigade (IB) based in Murcia town, said brigade commander Col. Jon Aying is studying and learning farm methods that can be applied in the 303rd IB Integrated Farming System.

Cunanan said that Aying, being an environmentalist, actively promotes organic farming.

Aying recently visited the Fresh Start Organic Farm in Hacienda Maquina, Silay City and the Peñalosa Farm in Quirino St., Victorias City.

The Fresh Start Organic Farm is into vermi-composting and waste segregation, produces high-quality organic fertilizers and organic products such as black rice, brown rice and organic coffee.

The Peñalosa Farm is known for its odourless and relatively fly-free hog farm, unconventional way of waste management, pro-biotic spraying to prevent the multiplication of flies, plots of medicinal and aromatic herbs, integrated organic farm with its own windmill that powers the water pump.

The 303rd IB Integrated Farming System is designed to ensure food security, basic income and sustainability to identified beneficiaries, especially for former rebels, threatened witnesses, CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) members, Army personnel, and displaced civilians in the hinterlands.

Cunanan said the farming program is being adopted by the 303rd IB as its main tool for the socio-economic enhancement of individuals and communities highly-involved, affected and vulnerable to armed conflict.

It is one of the many non-traditional innovations of the military towards winning the peace in Negros Occidental, he added.

The farming program is designed to support of the initiatives under the Negros First Agenda of Gov. Alfredo Marañon and its Three-Year Strategic Development Plan Objectives, the Social Integration Program of the National Government, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The Negros First peace and development initiatives seek to optimize the potentials of Negros Occidental as an agricultural province to ensure food sufficiency and agricultural productivity, and generate livelihood especially for the poor and marginalized.

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