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A CFTU Network activity
funded by the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO)and US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

 
       
 
 
 
 
 
 

THEME #5
Enhancing Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability
2004-2005 Progress by Project

 

1. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Regional On-farm Trials on SRI

      Project Leader: Zosimo M. de la Rosa

PROGRESS:

  • Completed the On– Farm Trials on SRI during the wet-cropping season (October 2004). Documented and analyzed results and shared with research partners in the Philippines and at Cornell.
  • Conducted a farmers’ forum (December 1, 2004) at Leyte State University to share experiences among the first group of cooperators in the SRI on-farm trials. LSU scientists documented farmers’ feedback, problems and new ideas. The forum was attended by agricultural technicians and extension administrators from several local governments as well as other farmers interested in testing SRI. Farmer experimenters reported increased production using SRI techniques and an intent to continue their tests into the upcoming cropping season
  • LSU scientists attended the National SRI Symposium at Los Banos (October 28-30) and shared results and experiences of the SRI Regional On-Farm Trials in the Eastern Visays with other SRI practitioners and researchers across the Philippines.s
  • More than 250 copies of the Cebuano language SRI guide were distributed to farmers, extension educators and other interested individuals. LSU and Cornell faculty shared SRI research and extension materials with each other and with researchers and extension practitioners across Asia.

DOCUMENTS

 

2. Soil Health Research and Extension Initiative

      Project Leader: Dr. Angela Almendras

 

PROGRESS:

  • Scientists and extension professionals from Cornell (10+) and LSU (2) participated in a Cornell-hosted workshop to discuss collaborative research priorities and research-extension strategies for developing low cost indicators of soil health and to correlate them with crop productivity in both temperate and tropical conditions (October 2004). The goal is to engage scientists, extensionists and farmers in a program of developing resource conserving management practices around emerging principles of soil health. After attending the Cornell Soil Health Workshop the LSU soil scientists visited soil scientists at the USDA Experiment Station at Beltsville, MD
  • Prof. Raquel Serohijos, Chair of Leyte State University’s Department of Soil Science, began a one year sabbatical at Cornell University (June 2005 – May 2006). She is working with Prof. Janice Thies, Department of Crop and Soil Science, and leader of the International Soil Health Working Group
  • Lucy Fisher, Extension Associate with the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) and Prof. Janice Thies were awarded a $10,000 grant by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies to support the international soil health initiative. Part of this grant will be used to support additional farmer-participatory research and extension in the Philippines.