VARIABLES DE DISEÑO.

Honorato L

A crop diversification project was imple- mented by the Central Luzon State University

with funding from the International Management Institute (IIMI). It aimed to determine the reasons why farmers diversify their crops during the dry season and the factors which farmers consider in determining farm size planted to non-rice crops.

Three studies were conducted in the area sewed by the Upper Talavera River Irrigation System (UTRIS) in San Jose City. The studies were:

I) On-farm management practices for

upland crops;

2) On-farm land preparation practices for

irrigated diversified crops; and

3) Comparative profitability analysis of rice and onions planted during the dry season

under irrigated conditions.

Study documented on-farm water manage- ment practices for diversified crops during the dry season: Study 2 dealt on land preparation practices

for irrigated rice during the wet season and diversi- fied crops during the dry season; and Study 3

concentrated on the analysis of onions

and rice and generated information on marketing, credit and problems encountered by farmers in their operations.

Study I revealed two methods of land prepa- ration employed by farmers - the dayos or raised- method and the latag or mulched-bed method. The dayos method requires three to four plowing and three to four harrowing operations. The latag method requires no tillage at all, or at most, only

one one rotavatingoperation. Farmers

received water from the main and supplementary farm ditches of UTRIS. No other water source was tapped. Border irrigation was practiced by the farmers in irrigating upland crops. The number of irrigation applications ranged from seven eight

for the method and from four to five for the

method. Irrigation time ranged from min using the dayos method and from 19-63

using the latag method, depending on the size of area irrigated.

Irrigation water was applied every three t o four weeks for the latag method and one to two weeks for the dayos method. Stream size

ranged from 10-35 liters per second (Ips) for dayos method and from 8-50 Ips for the

method depending on the size of the area irrigated. Farmers used the main farm ditch, supplementary farm ditch, intercepting or seepage ditch, and the farm intake and offtake structures. The total length

intake ranged from meters depending on

the location of the farms. Each plot or onion field was provided with a drainage ditch and one to

three intake and/or offtake structures. There were two t o four checks constructed from the main farm ditch the field for every irrigation. Hill and row spacings of onions ranged from 10-15 cm.

Fertilizer was applied by broadcasting in either basal or split amounts at a rate of 117 to 415

and using Urea,

14, and Manual weeding was done 30-35

days after transplanting. In weedicides

were applied 3-10 days after transplanting. Under

the method onions were harvested 86-92 days

after transplanting with yields ranging from 15-17

using the variety. Under the dayos

method, yields

Yellow Granex variety.

Study 2 found that farmers practiced primary

tillage by plowing using draft animals for

rice production during the wet season. Plowing commenced in either June or July as soon as water

supplied through irrigation or rainfall was enough

wet the upper cm plow layer. Harrowing and

puddling were done in late July when there was enough diversion flows and sufficient rainfall to

College of Engineering, Central State University, Ecija.

allow impounding of water in paddies. It usually took eight weeks for farmers to prepare their lands for planting. In all farms, land preparation involved one plowing and two harrowing operations.

The farmers had land preparation

practices in converting soil from puddled condition during the wet season into well-aerated condition

for onion production the dry season. Varia-

tions in land preparation were due to variations in the method of planting and tillage levels. Taking the date of rice harvest as the focal date, land preparation for onion production was completed within eight weeks. Labor and power requirements for land preparation ranged from

which included primary and secondary tillage operations, flooding the field twice, construction of temporary levees, drainage canals and imgation

ditches, and mulching for the method.

The factors considered by farmers in con- verting land from puddled lowland to upland condition were: familiarity with the rice-non-rice cropping pattern, the relatively smaller farm size

for onion production, availability of labor and power, medium-textured soil which promotes bet- ter root growth, and practices which effectively control weed growth.

Results of Study 3 showed that onion pro- duction was more profitable per unit area than rice. However, income realized from onion farming varied widely among farms than rice due to price

fluctuation. Expected profit was the primary con- sideration when selecting what upland crop to plant. Availability of water was not a limiting factor during the dry season except when drought

is during the wet season. Market size

influences the size of area to be planted to rice and onion.

Non-institutional sources of credit were pre-

ferred by growers while rice farmers used

their own savings to finance their farm operations, Both onion and rice farmers had the same mar- keting practices. Farmers sold their produce to local buyers and were paid in cash. However, onions were either picked-up at the farm or at the farmers' houses while rice were delivered to the buying centers.

Farmers encountered more economic than technical problems. Production constraints were the lack of capital and high cost of inputs. Water scarcity was more of a problem to rice fanners than to onion growers. There were lesser post-harvest- related problems due to outright selling and immediate payment of credit after harvest. Mar- keting problems were low prices and inadequate market outlets.

Therefore, economic factors affected crop diversification. Farmers would be encouraged to

plant crops if there would be a market for

their produce and higher prices offered compara- tive with that of rice.