The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Safe Water project organized a training on Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) with an orientation on Coffee Production, Harvesting, and Post-Harvest Processing for the Katadeng Farmers Association (KFA).
This event, which took place on January 25–26, 2024, at Sitio Kabalaysaon, Barangay San Roque, Malungon, Sarangani Province, aimed at equipping farmers with the skills to effectively utilize their sloping terrain, focusing on water conservation and environmental protection practices.
"We are deeply grateful for this opportunity. This training proves to be helpful for us, the farmers who cultivate sloping land areas," said Rev. Jello Malit, the president of KFA.
The 35 members of KFA acquired skills in setting up contour lines on sloping farms using a locally made A-frame. They marked the contour lines, used bamboo sticks as a guide for digging infiltration canals, and installed contour bunds.
The farmer participants demonstrated a remarkable eagerness to embrace SALT along with these innovative techniques. Their awareness of the damaging consequences of topsoil erosion and the significance of enhancing cover crops on their sloping farms grew, especially in terms of conserving water resources.
In addition, USAID Safe Water staff imparted fundamental knowledge of coffee cultivation and processing to enhance their practices in coffee farming.
The sloping area under the stewardship of Kabalaysaon sitio tribal leader, Casbe Malit, has been designated as the demonstration farm for the farmers' group, with a series of follow-up coaching and mentoring activities scheduled.
Furthermore, the Office of Municipal Agriculture of Malungon has generously supplied the seeds for planting.
The Buayan-Malungon River Basin (BMRB) is facing a significant challenge: the potential disappearance of its forest cover within the next six to seven years. This could have harmful impacts on the region's water resources, affecting both their availability and quality.
In response to this issue, the USAID Safe Water Project is collaborating with the Provincial Government of Sarangani and the Municipal Government of Malungon.
Their joint efforts are promoting the use of natural farming methods and the creation of model farms that emphasize agroforestry, diversified farming, and the SALT method.
The entirety of Malungon is located within the BMRB, Sarangani's largest watershed. SALT is a proven method for conserving soil and water in upland farming systems, especially in sloping regions where annual crops are prevalent, resulting in bare soil surfaces and limited vegetation.
USAID has introduced infiltration canals in farms that have adopted SALT. These canals are nature-based solutions designed to reduce topsoil erosion, accelerate groundwater recharge, and decrease surface water run-off.
Sarangani is the first province in the Philippines to implement the Safe Water project. The USAID signed a five-year, P869 million Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Palawan, Negros Occidental, and Sarangani to address the water security challenges faced by communities in these provinces.
USAID provides technical assistance to help these provinces gain reliable access to clean water. The project began in 2020 and will end in 2024.
The Safe Water project also collaborates with the private sector and non-government organizations to empower communities to become better environmental stewards, builds local capacity to deliver clean drinking water and improved sanitation services, and strengthens stakeholder engagement toward long-term water security. (Genory Vanz Alfasain/Voice of the Youth Network)
