Nestor Adante grew just one crop yearly on his small farm in Canaman, Camarines Sur, a sea-soaked land some 10 hours south of Manila. 

The 50-something agrarian reform beneficiary sowed rice at the start of the wet season in May and reaped the harvest before the summer monsoon in November.

A second crop had been unreliable. For some reasons, the development of rice was retarded during the dry season.

Then, last December, with the help of the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) of Canaman and Bawa Farmers Organization and Mangayawan Iquin Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) uncovered the cause of growth damage in rice in the area. 

As water evaporated in the post-monsoon months, more salt would rise to the surface of the coastal farmlands of the villages of Iquin, Mangayawan, and San Francisco, making the soil saline and retarding rice growth.

To help the farmers cope with saltwater intrusion, the provincial office of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), MAO and PhilRice are jointly taking measures to cushion the blow of soil salinity.

The partnership, which got P2 million in funding from the Department of Agriculture, is geared towards ensuring the dedication of all stakeholders in expanding the package of technologies for rice cultivation in Canaman town, particularly in areas affected by salinity, said Marie Antoinette Orbase, senior science research specialist of PhilRice.

The aim is to equip farmers with the necessary tools to increase their yield and income, ultimately improving their livelihoods, Orbase added.

Orbase said Adante and his fellow agrarian reform beneficiaries will train on new farming techniques, including the use of an improved salt-tolerant rice variety called Salinas and water-saving techniques. 

Orbase explained that Salinas can grow in environments with high levels of soil or water salinity. 

“Salinas has been specifically developed through breeding programs to exhibit resilience to the adverse effects of salt stress, making it suitable for cultivation in saline-affected areas,” Orbase said.

Through the Salinas project, farmers aim to increase rice yield by half a ton per hectare.

The increased sea level and coastal erosion also pose a risk of salinity ingress into farms, wells, and ecosystems. The excess salt damages the soil and hinders the germination of seeds. 

Adante is placing his optimism in the potential success of the Salinas project, viewing it as a “significant opportunity for positive outcomes." 

“Ang ibinigay na binhi sa amin na may laban sa tubig-alat ay malaking tulong sa mga magsasaka dito na laging pinapasok o nahahaloan ng tubig-alat ang mga palayan lalong-lalo na sa panahon ng tag-init  (The seeds given to us that are resistant to saltwater are a great help to the farmers here who always suffer when the rice fields get mixed with salt water, especially during the summer season),” Adante said.

Adante mentioned that some of his fellow farmers visit Naga City for several months a year to earn extra income by working at construction sites.

He hopes that the success of the Salinas project “will help them avoid the need to travel to the city for work,” he added.

(PIA 5/Camarines Sur)