Development of sustainable rubber-based farming system for smallholders in the Philippines
2002
Alcala, E.A. (University of Southern Mindanao, Kabacan, Cotabato 9407 (Philippines). Philippine Rubber Research Center)
In order for the rubber smallholders to be more profitable and viable farmers appropriate cropping systems, crops and livestock's combinations in a farming system approach is being developed. Initial investigations on the development of sustainable rubber-based farming system for smallholders in the Philippines started in the early 1990 with funding support from the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Research, early results showed that rubber planted within minimum population of 449 trees per hectare together with other crops such as fruit crops (lanzones, rambutan, lacatan and latundan banana, pineapple), root crops (sweet potato, taro and ubi) and some cereal crops (corn, legume, etc.) can be tapped beginning on the sixth year and with growth and yield performance comparable to rubber tree planted as monocrop. It can be deduced from the overall results that planting other crops together with the rubber trees in the same area would increase farming profitability and income to small farmers. There is also a built-in production system of some food crops. In farming system, crops combination and livestock incorporation vary from place to place, hence, continuous development efforts must be sustained.
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