Fulfilling the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte to uplift the lives of farmers, the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM) launched on Tuesday the Atlas of Soil-based Agricultural Guide Maps for Corn.
The atlas is a product of the collective efforts of DA-Regional Field Offices, local government units, and farmers through the Soil Health Assessment – National Soil Sampling and Testing project.
“We hope that the vital information contained in this atlas will help our farmers make a better judgment in improving their farm productivity and restoring soil health. We also aspire that it will be utilized to aid decision-making and in legislating policies that are site-appropriate and clientele-benefiting. We, therefore, enjoin the recipients of this atlas to further communicate and convey the findings to all stakeholders,” the agency said in a statement.
DA-BSWM said the atlas aims to provide science-based information to ensure the sustainable use and management of soils and increase agricultural productivity.
“This is of pivotal importance for the DA-BSWM to continue building and improving our country’s knowledge based on soil, and contribute to the attainment of the DA’s twin goals of masaganang ani, mataas na kita (productive yield, higher income),” the agency added.
The DA-BSWM had previously published seven other major agricultural materials since President Duterte gave the go-signal in 2016.
In his first State of the Nation Address, the President cited that efforts to address soil degradation and promote sustainable soil management have been sporadic, small in scale, and mostly locally-led.
DA-BSWM shared that it was only in 2016 that a nationally led initiative underpinning soil as one of the basic foundations of sustainable food production was again given importance.
Duterte committed to conduct nationwide soil testing and underscored the need for soil rehabilitation and sustainable fertilization to optimize production.
The DA, then under the leadership of Manny Piñol, commissioned the BSWM to lead the task of fulfilling the President’s commitment by preparing updated soil-based agricultural guide maps.
“These maps can serve as additional planning and decision-support tool to improve crop production by providing information on soil nutrient level and fertilizer guide. This undertaking was reaffirmed by current DA Secretary, Dr. William Dar, as part of efforts to intensify soil rejuvenation program to sustain increased crop productivity,” DA-BSWM said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
