Swamp buffalo (carabao) for land preparation

The domesticated water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is probably the most important draft animal in the world today: both in terms of numbers and for its economic contribution to Asian smallholder agriculture.

For centuries the carabao or kalabaw - as it is known in the Philippines - has been the backbone of rice farming, literally.

Modernization policies have often disregarded the carabao; or they have focused only on milk production. Yet, buffaloes aren’t a remnant of bygone agriculture; nor is the choice of turning these traditional draft animals of Asian smallholder farmers into cogs of dairy production systems always sustainable.

At Luntian Farm, we tried to explore the role of water buffalos in farming processes less dependent on fossil fuels. This would require better understanding of this resource, starting from better designed equipment.

White Lauan (Shorea contorta) trees in Luntian Farm

 

The video presents a profile of the White Lauan (Shorea contorta) trees in Luntian Farm: plant identification, and discussion of the challenges to the establishment of a healthy stand.

The White Lauan is a critically endangered species, endemic to the Philippines. Our attempt at introducing White Lauans in Luntian Farm underwent a few setbacks.

Mortality has been extremely high: 89% of the plants died. All the saplings acquired in 2014 withered and perished in the first 15 months. Out of 18 plants from a second batch in 2015, only 3 survived.

We reckon that most young trees died because of light stress. Most plants did not manage to harden and adjust to the conditions of a reforestation project, where light exposure is inevitably more than under the rain-forest thick canopy.

Windmill before and after repair

Our windmill stopped pumping between May and June 2017: the lack of this critical source of farm water was not particularly felt in Luntian Farm because 2017 was a quite wet year, and rain relatively abundant.

It proved however difficult to come up with a viable strategy to repair it. In November, we reached for Roman who lives in Gapan, the nearby municipality, but has roots in Lambakin. Roman has experience in windmills and recently built one in the province of Nueva Ecija.

In January 2018, after replacing shaft, lubricant case and pinion gear, the windmill wheel began pumping water again.