Storing up water for the dry season

Nescafé is actively promoting the building of water impounding areas to combat the dry season in farms with no irrigation systems.

Joel Lumagbas, head of Nestlé Philippines Inc.’s agricultural services, said his team at the Nestlé Experimental and Development Farm is educating farmers in the building of artificial ponds in low-lying areas of farm lots where rainwater naturally collects.

“It’s cheap, easy to build, and better than doing nothing,” he says.

Water management is one of the major problems faced by farmers in areas mostly hit by dry weather conditions. In Mindanao, for example, the dry season starts as early as January and lasts until May. Luzon’s dry season, meanwhile, starts as early as December.

How it’s done

Lumagbas says the excavated areas to be turned into artificial ponds should be lined with polytheline liners or hardened clay, whichever is most available, from the bottom up to two meters past the lip. This helps prevent water from seeping out for easier collection.

“Polyethylene liners, the same materials used in plastic mulches, are the cheaper and sturdier choice. They are readily available in roll sheets in agriculture supply store across the country,” he adds.

The pond can start from as small as 5 by 12 meters at one meter deep per one hectare of farm land since Lumagbas says it takes at least 60 cubic meters of water per hectare of coffee to partially irrigate a hectare of crop.

Surviving the dry months

“The idea is to water your crop just enough to survive the dry months,” says Lumagbas.

He adds that they usually advice farmers to ask their local government units to provide bulldozers if there’s a need for bigger projects.

“Otherwise, it’s good old bayanihan labor,” Lumagbas says.

As a bonus, Lumagbas says farmers can choose to raise tilapia or catfish or fresh water eels in the pond for additional income.

Established in 1994, NEDF in Tagum, Davao del Norte serves as the hub of Nescafé’s agricultural research and training activities. Through its experts agronomists, the NEDF continually conducts trials and experiments to discover and develop better techniques of growing coffee. Guided by the results of its research studies, the NEDF develops and propagates Robusta coffee materials such as coffee seeds, rooted cuttings, and ready-to-plant seedlings. These are all made available to interested farmers at cost.