Teatro Kawagib from PASALI Philippines on Vimeo.

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Back to A SINGLE GRAIN OF RICE

These pictures are taken of PASALI’s Rice Contract Farm August to October 2011 which is one of the two modes of the System of Rice Intensification PASALI applies at the moment:

- the Farm Support Scheme for SRI is the project-based farmer trainings mode
- the Rice Contract Farm with SRI is the investment-based mode that runs as business, must make a profit like business but has an built-in land redemption scheme for farmer households.

Photos by operations managers Mary Dawn Mantala and Marilyn Ty
Edited by Shane Pulmano

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Land preparation

 
1| The tractor practically sinks if the boys don’t hold it up. This piece of land has the issue of too much ground water. To prevent the weeds from growing as fast as the rice like last crop, operations manager Tata had it tractored.
2| PASALI uses the tractor and the carabao. The carabao pulls the plough and the leveller.
3| Farmer Bra sets up the dikes to wall the prepared fields.
4| The fields are ready for planting.
5| The tractor is transported back to PASALI’s technical center after the day’s work is done.

Seed selection, germination (part of vegetative stage)

1| The Rice Contract farm applied two ways of planting: transplant and broadcasting. Here the seed is broadcasted thinly on the places where lines meet on a marked field. When the seedlings sprout, they will be thinned out leaving only the one closest to the middle of th hill.

2| Gamai and Bani carefully select good seed using the egg-salt water method: mix salt with water and when the egg floats then the mixture is good. The seed is put into the container with salt water. The good seeds sink to the bottom and the bad ones float. RCF’s seed rating so far is 85% good.

3| Good seeds are then put in sacks and soaked.
4| Germination: seeds that have begun to sprout.
5| Seeds for transplant are either broadcasted directly onto the seedbed,
6| or in containers like the banana trunks (which will then be directly transplanted to the fields at 8-15 days),
7| or broadcasted over sacks of meal then covered by straw. However, this last system we will not do again since it leaves the roots short and soil-less.

Transplanting (Vegetative stage)

1| Seedlings are manually transplanted 8-15 days on a grid pattern of 25x25cm. 1 seedling per hill. The Rice Contract Farm’s youngest seed is at 11 days, and oldest is at 14 days. The youngest ones did not yellow after transplant unlike the 13-14 day ones, which indicates less stress on the plant roots.

2| On the day of transplant, the seedlings are uprooted at the seedbed, preferably gently with roots as long as possible and with still soil stuck between the roots. Seedlings are not smacked on the water like conventional transplanting and left uprooted for day but are directly planted.

3| RCF farmer technician Hari marks the field to a 25x25cm grid pattern before transplant the field.

4| Transplanters are briefed before planting on the proper SRI planting. Older transplanters are harder to teach, refusing to follow instructions, therefore the Rice Contract Farm chooses young, inexperienced planters instead who are not used to the conventional way of planting.

5|  Ideally, seedlings are planted 1-2cm from the ground and with the roots and plant forming an L. The planter uses his or her finger to create the space for the plant, and not the plant as tools to push the soil.

6| Older uprooters used to conventional uprooting have stopped wacking the rice over the water’s surface, but they still uproot in ways that leave the roots short. Will new uprooters please stand up?

7-8| The number of transplanters per hectare can vary from 7 (according to experienced SRI farmer) to 30. The contract farm hires 21-27 planters who finish one hectare in one day. We expect to lower the number each planting time since the planters’ pace will quicker with each experience.

9| Both management, farm teams (the duo responsible for day-to-day work on the fields), and hired help come out to plant.

10| Here seedlings are visible small. We plan to enlarge the seedbed, applying SRI principles right from the seedbed on and not just after transplant (which is the current practice). This should give the seedlings more room to grow, and become larger at the same number of days.

Tillering (vegatative stage)

1| At almost 1 month after transplant, one seedling has grown into 15 tillers.
2| When you see how small these seedlings are, you can understand how farmers have a hard time believing that one will really grow to become many tillers. Enlarging the seedbed should help increase the size of seedlings.
3| - 7| The care of these plants are: broadcasting rice hill over the fields and the canal to limit the movement of golden snails, flash flooding for watering then immediate drying to prevent golden snails from eating away the plants, weeding three times before the flowering stage, and adding measured nutrients after each weeding session.

1| Weeding can be done with the mechanized weeder, the manual weeder and manually. We've done all three. 
2| The current model of the motorized weeder has tall blades. The Rice Contract Farm recommends all models could be made with 'lower' blades so they wont hit the leaves as the weeder passes the plants, and that models could be made with three blade sizes to match the space between plants as they begin to tiller and expand in roots. 
3| Weeds are best removed when they are still small. 
4| - 5| If left unchecked, they will overun the field. One of RCF's teams met broken weeders but rather than manually weeding, they waited until fields were overun with weeds. So now even though their field was planted first and will be 2 months on on October 31, plants are the same height as the plants planted weeks later. RCF management then hired extra hands to weed the place before the plant reaches its 2 months age. From 2 months on the flowering will start, and the field should not be disturbed for optimal growth. 

Next up: Reproductive Stage (panicle initiation, booting, heading, flowering)  and the Ripening Stage (flowering, milking, dough stage and maturity)
Challenges and Discoveries, The Faces of the Farm

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Back to A SINGLE GRAIN OF RICE

… it will start again. Last August Papa had his coronary angiogram done.  Results revealed two blocked arteries: the right coronary artery is totally blocked, one left circumflex is 95% blocked. We decided on coronary angioplasty as treatment. We hope to schedule this procedure this month.

The doctor’s advice was either a bypass surgery or a coronary angioplasty. We carefully weighed all advantages and disadvantages. We got a second opinion. And finally we decided for the coronary angioplasty. This time he will be confined for three nights. During this time we are available via mobile phone and my email. Please don’t hesitate to call, text or email us. We would love to hear from you.

Thank you all who who support and pray for us, particularly the family Ty, the ‘t Harts, the Rooij, Jan van Schouten, the entire Mercy Ships Holland famiy, the Mercy Ships international office in Texas, USA, and the family Pulmano and the CCF family.

Felix Pulmano’s heart may have stopped beating on October 10 to 11, 2009 several times, but as his doctor said it: “Mr. Felix, heaven seems to have barred its gates for you. I think you still have something important to do here on earth.”
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Music by Felix Pulmano, jr
TONSOFPAPERBROKENPEN 

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Pictures on Facebook

  
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Videos

Papa’s heart from Shane Pulmano on Vimeo.

The Patient in Room 8 from Shane Pulmano on Vimeo.

The Felix Pulmano Reality Shoow from Shane Pulmano on Vimeo.

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The Patient in Room 8
by Feyan Jing-Jing Pulmano 

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Newsletters

We almost lost Papa

Papa is stable

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Blogs

50% chance for another cardiac arrest December 4, 2009
Papa is out November 30, 2009
Batch Bantay November 14, 2009
Soul Food November 14, 2009
Baby Steps November 14, 2009
He’s a real traveler November 14, 2009
Mr. Obama November 14, 2009
Small step for man, Giant step for Papa November 11, 2009
Brotherly Caprice November 6, 2009
Short term memoryloss October 31, 2009
In the ward October 30, 2009
Darth Vader October 27, 2009
Good timing October 22, 2009
Your words feed our hearts October 22, 2009
Heart Attack October 22, 2009
The Log II October 22, 2009
The Log I October 22, 2009
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The Prayer 

Preparation and Cooking Practices of Manobos

With a strange joy in my heart, I intently looked at every
corner of the community. My eyes were caught by the sight of
 a flagpole proudly standing amidst the three classrooms made
of light materials. I even noticed how the children innocently
embraced their cellophane bags (containing pen and paper)
as they were proudly walking towards the aisle of the earthen
pathway leading to their “school compound”. Before my imagination
ran somewhere else, I set myself back to my assignment---
to explore on the food preparation and cooking skills of
Manobo people. Right then, my ear was lent by a drum-like
rhythm sound of something like falling over a holed thing.
Immediately, my head turned towards the source of the sound.
I then saw Manang Erma Mokatil, 36 years old, mother of
10 children, sitting (while carrying her 7- month old baby
beside her in a “malong”), and cheerfully pounding the rice
with the use of a mortar and a pestle. She then gladly
accommodated my curiosity on the procedures of a traditional
rice preparation. But since she’s already in the middle of
the procedure, she further referred me to her neighbors who
at that time were perfectly just starting. Firstly, a newly
harvest “palay” or rice are being stepped with bare feet to
separate the rice grain from the hay (Step 1). Secondly,
this unhulled rice is dried thru the heat of a firewood (low flame)
till it gets brownish indicating that it is already ideal for
 pounding (Step 2). Thirdly, the flame-dried unhulled rice is
poured in the mortar for pounding. Pounding can either be done
alone or by two or three persons, usually women. In a few minutes,
from 5 to 15, the hull is shattered from the rice and one of the
women bends down and with her hands remove the contents of the
mortar to the winnowing tray. After winnowing, they repeat the
process till all the husk has been separated from the grain.
The husk has been shattered from the grain as perfectly,
though not as quickly, as if it had been done by a machine
(Step 4).In detail, below are the visual translations of the
foregoing indigenous rice preparation mainly consists of  four steps:

Step 1. Separating rice grain from hay 
 


Step 2: Getting the rice grain dried over the heat of a low flame 



Step 3: Rice Pounding (by two women) Step 4: Rice winnowing
 

Step 4: Rice winnowing


Linolo: cooking rice the hunter's way
While the women were about to finish the procedure on rice preparation, on the other hand, spearheaded by their chieftain, the men were already starting to collect the implements for cooking using the traditional method called , “Linulo”. They gathered some young “bolo” (green bamboos), “hagikhik” leaves and woods. Below are the cooking procedures:  

Step 1. Manobo men gathering the materials for
“Linulo”, traditional method of cooking the rice or any food.


Step 2. Chieftain Duma wrapping  the rice in  hagikhik leaf.	


Step 3. Properly pushing the wrapped rice inside the water-filled “bolo”.


Step 4. Cooking the rice for 35 minutes. 


This particular participation of men in cooking reflects how
PASALI had gradually touched their hearts and influenced their
mentality as far as their culture is concerned. Through
trainings and seminars, the Manobo chieftain is imposing
some gradual change in their way of living. Men are now taking
part in household chores like washing clothes, cleaning their
surroundings and cooking. 

As we partake together the fruit of the community’s effort, I
felt a genuine happiness overflowing the surrounding. I sensed
how small things draw smiles on their faces. I realized how blessed
I am to enjoy the benefits of the modern science and technology.
But at the same time, I also foresee myself floating in difficult
 situations without the help of those living in the jungle.
For, they know how to deal with an environment considered primitive
or less-developed. It’s really true that NO MAN is AN ISLAND.

Richel

Two manobo girls, with beautiful eyes

Last September 13-14, I went to Biao for the first time. The main reason for me was to do an orthoptic eye check on the manobo children, which are living there. Because I didn’t know what to expect, I went there with open mind and decided to just let it happen. And that is exactly how it went.
The eye check took place on September 14 in one of the classrooms of their elementary school. While the teacher sat the children in neat rows, I was making preparations for the orthoptic eye check. The day before I had already observed the children and noticed some red eyes and children rubbing their eyes. During the eye check the teacher also told me about the big amount of children complaining about sore eyes. I found out that almost 50% of the schoolchildren had sore eyes, some of them with red eyes and some of them without. The main problem is probably hygiene. Children like to play everywhere, to touch everything and everyone and when they are tired, they will rub their eyes with their dirty hands. By giving advice about how to prevent sore eyes through cleaning your hands and keep your eyes clean this problem seems to be easy to solve. Unfortunately that’s not how it eventually goes, partly because the required supplies are not always within their reach.

Forming rows before the eye check

Besides the sore eyes, I didn’t find any remarkable orthoptic problem. After I had seen the children and checked their eyes, some older people came to me and asked if I could also check their eyes. I told them that I could not promise that I would be able to find the problem and help them, but of course was willing to have a look. Through the orthoptic check I couldn’t find anything, but when I asked more specific about their complaint I was able to find out what the real problem was. Presbyopia, meaning to say they need reading glasses, something very simple, and available in every department store. But here, nobody was wearing glasses, because how and where can they get it?

These, actually, minor problems with simple solutions are just examples of the health (issues) in Biao and it seems there is still a long way to go.

I got a gift a from a Dutch lady. It reminded me of all the Dutch things I love: stroopwafels, Sinterklaas gifts (called surprises), sharing a cup of Earl Grey tea and a cookie, sitting inside drinking Senseo coffie while it rains outside, watching football, the wind at Scheveningen, the wind on the Erasmus bridge, taking the train. Sometimes Nederland isn’t all that bad. Thank you, Sisi.

Lucky Day: Wherever there is injustice, you will find us.
Ned Nederlander: Wherever there is suffering, we’ll be there.
Dusty Bottoms: Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find…
Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander, Dusty Bottoms: The Three Amigos!

General Santos and Palimbang, Mindanao are the site of my job. Papa and Nonoy Ty are founders of the organisation Pasali. Pasali teaches a rice technique to local farmers that costs considerably less and has less health hazards because its organic. Pasali also has a mechanical workshop (my father’s suggestion) that trains and employs out-of-school-youth. That now services the whole village.

Since Papa can’t go there for a while, Nonoy invited Jing and I brought Pom. And we enjoyed ourselves mightly. All under the umbrella of exposure to development work.

With thanks to Pascal for restoring key bits.

I bow to NO ONE.

Well, except my sleep.