Many of our smallholder farmers in the Philippines still farm the same way their forefathers did several years ago. Traditional farming practices continue to work for some, but new methods can help many substantially improve yields, preserve soil quality, and protect natural resources—thereby supporting the government’s twin goals of attaining food security and increasing farmers’ incomes.
Farmers themselves can be taught innovative practices more effectively with the right information to enhance their knowledge and skills. For instance, advances in satellite mapping and information and communications technologies (ICTs), or the so-called digitization of agriculture, are considered “game changers” that could speed up the transformation of the agricultural landscape in the countryside.
Farming is becoming more precise, resulting in increased productivity. As the country’s population grows by leaps and bounds, agriculture should not stagnate but instead continuously develop new techniques to grow more food in less space while conserving water.
Lettuce production through greenhouse hydroponics is a step toward this goal.
Hydroponics is a system of growing crops without soil, often called soilless farming. Through such technology, plant roots grow in a liquid nutrient solution or in moist inert materials. The liquid nutrient solution is a mixture of essential plant nutrients dissolved in water.
Plant roots are suspended either in a static liquid solution or in a continuously flowing nutrient mixture. The hydroponic growing system requires sustained “tender loving care” (TLC) for the crops, in contrast to traditional farming systems.
It is worth noting that this cutting-edge technology is slowly gaining ground in our region, targeting the youth in urban and peri-urban centers.
In fact, just this June we witnessed the unveiling and ceremonial turnover of a solar-powered hydroponic system inside a school campus in Tacloban City.
It was a victory for the agriculture stakeholders—especially the students, teachers, and surrounding communities of the Tacloban National Agricultural School (TNAS) in Brgy. 94-A, Basper, this city.
This initiative, supported by the Department of Agriculture, aims to help the younger generation adopt modern farming technologies in pursuit of sustainable agriculture and food security.
The government is investing heavily in such agricultural facilities to ensure that more young people are enticed to pursue farming as a vocation. Gone are the days of backbreaking farm chores. By harnessing the potential of the Filipino youth, letting them learn the ropes, and adopting new ways of growing crops, there truly is a glimmer of hope for the future of Philippine agriculture.
