UPOU showcases organic agriculture in SyenSaya 2014

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Kabzeel Sheba Catapang

by Mary Edrielle Valiente

The University of the Phillippines Open University (UPOU) participates once more in the annual SyenSaya by showcasing different organic products in its booth themed “supporting sustainable agriculture and natural resources management through open and distance e-learning.”

Aside from promoting e-learning as one of the most prestigious online education platforms in the country, the UPOU also wants to promote sustainable and environment-friendly farming.

OJ Gomez, a student of organic agriculture in the UPOU, displayed his very own products from integrated diversified organic farming, which he learned from the university. The UPOU booth featured Gomez’ native chickens, pigs, organic feeds, and plants.

Students man the UPOU booth themed “Supporting sustainable agriculture and natural resources management through open and distance e-learning.”

A chef by profession, Gomez said he wants to promote organic agriculture because of the health benefits. He also wants to develop a breed of native pigs that will be best for cooking lechon.

According to Gomez, he wants to promote organic farming for the sake of fair practice.

“Do you know what conventional farmers do? They mass produce plants grown with chemicals and sell it to the public. But they plant a small amount of vegetables organically, and that’s what they eat because they know it’s the healthier option. That’s not fair practice,” he said.

“With the traditional way of growing pigs, you depend on the income you earn to buy more and more feeds. But with organic farming, you can feed your pigs anytime because it requires you to plant the vegetables that your pigs will eat. These plants are self-sustaining,” he added.

Another good point of organic agriculture is that it does not destroy the environment unlike the chemicals that conventional farmers use. Gomez said that “organic farming enriches the soil because you use natural produce as fertilizers. Even the animal excretions become beneficial.”

He added that less than one percent of the farmers in the Philippines practice organic agriculture. That is why he is trying to promote it by continuing to participate in every science fair he can, SyenSaya being one of them.

When farms and machines fuse: AMDP exhibits innovations for agricultural mechanization

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Kabzeel Sheba Catapang

by John Paul M. Omac

There is a common conception that agriculture banks purely on manual labor, and that machinery would be odd in such a setting. However, for an institute envisioning productive and sustainable agriculture, that notion should be challenged.

This is what the Agricultural Mechanization Development Program (AMDP) has continuously tried to do, as shown in their exhibit in the annual Los Banos Science Fair, SyenSaya, being held from September 10-12 at the Copeland Gymnasium, University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB).

As the research development and extension arm of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, AMDP has already developed various technologies and machinery to help farmers improve their production and practices. Among these machines featured in their exhibit were the UPLB hand tractor, a simple hand tractor that can operate at lower power engines than those used by other tractors; the animal-drawn plow-mounted corn seeder, which aids farmers to plant their corn seeds mechanically with even spacing; and the UPLB two-drum corn sheller, which automatically separates corn kernels from its core and husk.

According to Mario C. Bueno, university extension specialist, AMDP is committed to serve the Philippine agri-fisheries sector through mechanization. “We envision the Philippines to be responsive to the challenges of food security, energy sustainability, and environmental protection,” he said.

In 2012, AMDP was institutionalized through Republic Act 10601 or the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law to lead and coordinate the agricultural and fishery mechanization RDE program of all academic institutions in the country. The law mandates AMDP to assist other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) with their research and extension programs.

“We also serve as a ‘clearing house’ of mechanization researches in other SUCs,” Bueno added.

Bueno also explained that they try to be as hands on as they can with their work, which includes community visits, mechanization needs assessments and analysis, and even trainings for the farmers and fishermen. Their beneficiaries have even extended to as far as Bohol and Mindanao.

Even young students who went to the fair showed appreciation for the program.

Albert Pena, a grade six student from Tadlac Elementary School, said that he is glad that there are efforts to help the farmers. “Dapat po kasing tulungan rin ang mga magsasaka dahil sila ang nagbibigay ng pagkain sa mga tao,” Pena said.

For their contribution to research and extension in agricultural mechanization, AMDP has been recognized as the Outstanding Research Program during the UPLB’s 104th foundation anniversary.

However, for people in the AMDP, the contribution they have done is more than the award itself. “It’s more like of a bonus,” Bueno said.

Volunteers, vet clinic conduct free cat spaying, neutering

Posted on January 19, 2013 by rbvillar

by Alexandria Nicole D. Agustin and Jasmin Joyce P. Sevilla

“Spaying and neutering is part of responsible pet ownership.”

This is according to Joan Manguiat who patiently waited while her cat, Tri, was being spayed during the Free Spay and Neuter Day for Cats organized by the Zen Cats Association Inc., in cooperation with the UP Los Baños College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) last Saturday (January 12) at Hayop Kalinga Veterinary Clinic in Calamba.

Helen Quimson, one the volunteers of Zen Cats Association, said that spay and neuter are two types of castration, which is an effective tool to prevent the rapid pregnancy among cats.

“Basta kapag [ano] nasa anim na buwang gulang na yung pusa, pwede na ‘yung kapunin. (As long as the cat is around six months old, then it can be castrated,” Quimson added. According to Dr. Andrew Bernardo, professor from CVM and a volunteer on the said event, spaying is castration among female cats wherein the uterus and ovaries are removed so they cannot be impregnated. Neutering, on the other hand, is castration among male cats wherein the testicles are removed so they cannot impregnate.

“The procedure is done in five minutes. Matagal lang pagpapatulog sa kanina. (It is making the cats sleep that takes a lot of time.) After the surgery, the cat will recover within the next 30 minutes,” said Dr. Bernardo.

The first step: A volunteer from UPLB CVM shaves the abdomen part of a female cat as part of the first stage of spaying

Luckily, owned cats are not the only ones that can be spayed and neutered. With the help of barangay officials and animal lovers, stray cats within the Calamba area are being trapped and brought to Hayop Kalinga Veterinary Clinic to be spayed and neutered for free.

According to Rosemary Yates, founder of Zen Cats Association Inc., after spaying or neutering the stray cat, it would be taken cared of for about three days to be able to recuperate and then it would be brought back to the place where it was caught.

Dr. Bernardo further explained that castrated cats will be marked with a V-shaped notch on their ears for easy identification, especially for the stray ones.

Quimson said that cats would be healthier and a lot more tamed once they were subjected to castration. Dr. Bernardo also added that castration would tend to lengthen the lifespan of cats.

“Ang maganda sa kinakapon na pusa, hindi na siya nakakaperwisyo. Di na sila kumakalkal ng basura, di na sila maingay. Di na pwedeng dumami. [Ang] pakinabang ng pusa na lang pag nakapon, manghuli ng insekto, matulog. (The good thing about cat castration is that they would not be a disturbance anymore. They won’t scavenge for food in trash bins. They’re not noisy. They won’t multiply. The purpose of castrated cats is to just catch insects, sleep,)” added Quimson.

Quimson explained that cats release certain type of hormone that makes them feel the urge to be sexually active and mate. Attracting mates would cause the non-castrated cats to be noisy.

Pet owners within the vicinity of Laguna grabbed the opportunity to have their cats be spayed and neutered for free.

One of them was Joan Manguiat, 24, nurse, whose cat, Tri, had been spayed. It was her first time to have a pet spayed. When asked what her purpose of spaying is, she replied, “Roaming ang cats [at] independent. Unlike dogs na sa bahay lang na di mo palalabasin pwera lang pag exercise. Ang cats, roaming, mabilis mabuntis. (Cats roam [and] are independent. Unlike dogs that just stay in the house unless you’d walk around with it for exercising. Cats are roaming and can be easily impregnated.)”

Another pet owner, Gemma Salinas, 42, office worker, also shared the same insights with Manguiat. She has ten adopted cats and two of which have been spayed and neutered before.

According to her, castration of cats is highly beneficial because her two castrated cats have been a lot healthier and livelier now.

Los Baños Times

Serving Los Baños and Nearby Communities since 1983

Tag Archives: Science and Health