Farming and seed conservation practices of rice farmers in the marginal uplands of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato [Philippines]
2008
Lasalita-Zapico, F. | Martin, T.T. | Pena, R.J. | Gonzales, J., Mindanao State Univ., Fatima, General Santos City (Philippines) Science Dept.
This study was undertaken to inventory the upland rice resource base of Lake Sebu, to document the traditional farming and seed conservation practices of the T'bolis and to detect the occurrence of genetic erosion in the farmers' fields. Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, semi-structured interviews, survey questionnaire and recording field notes were the methods used in the study. Results revealed a very high level of genetic diversity (136 landraces) of traditional upland rice cultivars in the area. Seed movement was also restricted in the area for most of the sitios. The system of cultivation in the area, however, is done at the subsistence level and is purposely geared towards domestic consumption. No effort is exerted with respect to the conservation of the rice resource and it is only made possible through continued utilization. For the T'bolis in the Lake Sebu, the availability of planting materials does not warrant conservation. Genetic erosion therefore occurs in farmers' fields and traditional varieties are lost on a continuous basis. Another identified problem was the inaccessibility of most of the sites resulting into their lack of integration in commercial markets.
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