Grass as Vegetative Strips (Baldwin M. Pine)

Contour Straight Block Layout (Philippines)

Description

It is a package of soil and water conservation technology that integrates contouring, bedding, and blocking.

The main commodity used in the area is pineapple planted in each bed within blocks. Each block contains around 23-25 beds. Spaces between blocks with a dimension of 2-3 meters (width) served as vegetative strips where grass is being utilized and maintained. Grass as natural vegetative strips served as control for soil erosion by water. Vegetative strips are used as roads for accessibility purposes in times of planting and harvesting season. Pineapple production would last for 18-20 months for normal season and these requires massive land preparation. Plowing is done through a modified moldboard plow.

Purpose of the Technology: Pineapple were planted in beds within blocks, which is efficient and effective in water-induced soil erosion control.

Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: Deep plowing,around one meter deep is a normal practice in the area. This practice would ensure proper root development of pineapple which is crucial for their growth; also it ensures re-introduction of pineapple trashes from the previous cropping as organic matter. Next activity is harrowing, which is usually done twice to pulverize the soil. Plastic mulching is a also a practice after bedding to suppress weeds and conserve water. Weeding is done manually. Foliar fertilizer spraying is done to induce flowering.

Natural / human environment: The area is under humid agro-climate condition with a topography ranging from 1-10% slope. It receives an annual average rainfall of approximately 3072 mm. The elevation ranges from 370-890 meter above sea level.
Mt. Kitanglad and Agri Development Corporation (MKADC) operates the area where the technology are being practiced. The technology has been introduced through experiments and adoption from neighboring farms. Farmers living within the area are the laborers of the company, they do all needed activities during preparation of the land, planting and harvesting.

Location

Location: Valencia City, Bukidnon, Philippines

No. of Technology sites analysed:

Geo-reference of selected sites
  • 125.05258, 7.97587

Spread of the Technology: evenly spread over an area (approx. 1-10 km2)

Date of implementation: 10-50 years ago

Type of introduction
Contour Straight Block Lay-out (Google Eath)

Classification of the Technology

Main purpose
  • improve production
  • reduce, prevent, restore land degradation
  • conserve ecosystem
  • protect a watershed/ downstream areas – in combination with other Technologies
  • preserve/ improve biodiversity
  • reduce risk of disasters
  • adapt to climate change/ extremes and its impacts
  • mitigate climate change and its impacts
  • create beneficial economic impact
  • create beneficial social impact
Land use

  • Cropland - Perennial (non-woody) cropping
    Main crops (cash and food crops): Major cash crop: pineapple

Water supply
  • rainfed
  • mixed rainfed-irrigated
  • full irrigation

Number of growing seasons per year: n.a.
Land use before implementation of the Technology: n.a.
Livestock density: n.a.

Purpose related to land degradation
  • prevent land degradation
  • reduce land degradation
  • restore/ rehabilitate severely degraded land
  • adapt to land degradation
  • not applicable
Degradation addressed
  • soil erosion by water - Wt: loss of topsoil/ surface erosion
SLM group
  • integrated soil fertility management
SLM measures
  • agronomic measures - A1: Vegetation/ soil cover
  • vegetative measures - V2: Grasses and perennial herbaceous plants

Technical drawing

Technical specifications
Each bed is within blocks. Vegetative strips width is approximately 2-3 meters. Contour lines with an approximate 0.5 meters width served as diversion ditches.

Location: Luguran, Valencia City Bukidnon

Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: moderate

Technical knowledge required for land users: moderate

Technical knowledge required for farmer level: moderate

Main technical functions: control of raindrop splash, control of dispersed runoff: retain / trap, control of dispersed runoff: impede / retard, control of concentrated runoff: retain / trap, control of concentrated runoff: impede / retard, control of concentrated runoff: drain / divert, stabilisation of soil (eg by tree roots against land slides)

Secondary technical functions: improvement of ground cover, increase of infiltration, increase / maintain water stored in soil

Relay cropping
Material/ species: pineapple
Remarks: in beds within contoured blocks

Contour planting / strip cropping
Material/ species: pineapple

Mulching
Material/ species: plastic mulching
Remarks: in each bed

Rotations / fallows
Material/ species: grassland

Breaking crust / sealed surface
Material/ species: modified molboard plow
Remarks: plowed accross the slope

In blocks
Vegetative material: C : perennial crops
Number of plants per (ha): 2000
Vertical interval between rows / strips / blocks (m): 0.5
Spacing between rows / strips / blocks (m): 0.5
Vertical interval within rows / strips / blocks (m): 0.3
Width within rows / strips / blocks (m): 0.3

Perennial crops species: pineapple

Layout change according to natural and human environment: the technology follows a fallow period.

Establishment and maintenance: activities, inputs and costs

Calculation of inputs and costs
  • Costs are calculated:
  • Currency used for cost calculation: Philippine peso
  • Exchange rate (to USD): 1 USD = 46.0 Philippine peso
  • Average wage cost of hired labour per day: 6.50
Most important factors affecting the costs
Planting materials and labour
Establishment activities
  1. Construction of vegetative strips. Vegetative strips has been prepared and laid out during land preparation ( agronomic measures) and is part of the paid labor . (Timing/ frequency: None)
  2. Plowing, also included the preparation of vegetative strips. (Timing/ frequency: None)
  3. Harrowing (Timing/ frequency: None)
  4. Bedding (Timing/ frequency: None)
  5. Mulching (Timing/ frequency: None)
  6. Planting (Timing/ frequency: None)
Establishment inputs and costs
Specify input Unit Quantity Costs per Unit (Philippine peso) Total costs per input (Philippine peso) % of costs borne by land users
Labour
Labourer ha 1.0 143.0 143.0 100.0
Equipment
Machine use ha 1.0 225.0 225.0 100.0
Construction material
Pineapple strings ha 217.0 100.0
Total costs for establishment of the Technology 368.0
Maintenance activities
  1. Ratooning (Timing/ frequency: 1)
  2. Spraying (Timing/ frequency: As needs arise)
  3. Weeding (Timing/ frequency: As needs arise)
  4. Fertilizer Application (Timing/ frequency: As needs arise but normally one to three times per cropping season)
  5. Harvesting (Timing/ frequency: Once or twice per cropping season)
  6. Trimming of grasses (Timing/ frequency: As needs arise)
Maintenance inputs and costs
Specify input Unit Quantity Costs per Unit (Philippine peso) Total costs per input (Philippine peso) % of costs borne by land users
Labour
Labourer ha 1.0 279.0 279.0 100.0
Total costs for maintenance of the Technology 279.0

Natural environment

Average annual rainfall
  • < 250 mm
  • 251-500 mm
  • 501-750 mm
  • 751-1,000 mm
  • 1,001-1,500 mm
  • 1,501-2,000 mm
  • 2,001-3,000 mm
  • 3,001-4,000 mm
  • > 4,000 mm
Agro-climatic zone
  • humid
  • sub-humid
  • semi-arid
  • arid
Specifications on climate
3072 (Annual Average Rainfall)
Thermal climate class: tropics
Slope
  • flat (0-2%)
  • gentle (3-5%)
  • moderate (6-10%)
  • rolling (11-15%)
  • hilly (16-30%)
  • steep (31-60%)
  • very steep (>60%)
Landforms
  • plateau/plains
  • ridges
  • mountain slopes
  • hill slopes
  • footslopes
  • valley floors
Altitude
  • 0-100 m a.s.l.
  • 101-500 m a.s.l.
  • 501-1,000 m a.s.l.
  • 1,001-1,500 m a.s.l.
  • 1,501-2,000 m a.s.l.
  • 2,001-2,500 m a.s.l.
  • 2,501-3,000 m a.s.l.
  • 3,001-4,000 m a.s.l.
  • > 4,000 m a.s.l.
Technology is applied in
  • convex situations
  • concave situations
  • not relevant
Soil depth
  • very shallow (0-20 cm)
  • shallow (21-50 cm)
  • moderately deep (51-80 cm)
  • deep (81-120 cm)
  • very deep (> 120 cm)
Soil texture (topsoil)
  • coarse/ light (sandy)
  • medium (loamy, silty)
  • fine/ heavy (clay)
Soil texture (> 20 cm below surface)
  • coarse/ light (sandy)
  • medium (loamy, silty)
  • fine/ heavy (clay)
Topsoil organic matter content
  • high (>3%)
  • medium (1-3%)
  • low (<1%)
Groundwater table
  • on surface
  • < 5 m
  • 5-50 m
  • > 50 m
Availability of surface water
  • excess
  • good
  • medium
  • poor/ none
Water quality (untreated)
  • good drinking water
  • poor drinking water (treatment required)
  • for agricultural use only (irrigation)
  • unusable
Is salinity a problem?
  • Ja
  • Nee

Occurrence of flooding
  • Ja
  • Nee
Species diversity
  • high
  • medium
  • low
Habitat diversity
  • high
  • medium
  • low

Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Market orientation
  • subsistence (self-supply)
  • mixed (subsistence/ commercial
  • commercial/ market
Off-farm income
  • less than 10% of all income
  • 10-50% of all income
  • > 50% of all income
Relative level of wealth
  • very poor
  • poor
  • average
  • rich
  • very rich
Level of mechanization
  • manual work
  • animal traction
  • mechanized/ motorized
Sedentary or nomadic
  • Sedentary
  • Semi-nomadic
  • Nomadic
Individuals or groups
  • individual/ household
  • groups/ community
  • cooperative
  • employee (company, government)
Gender
  • women
  • men
Age
  • children
  • youth
  • middle-aged
  • elderly
Area used per household
  • < 0.5 ha
  • 0.5-1 ha
  • 1-2 ha
  • 2-5 ha
  • 5-15 ha
  • 15-50 ha
  • 50-100 ha
  • 100-500 ha
  • 500-1,000 ha
  • 1,000-10,000 ha
  • > 10,000 ha
Scale
  • small-scale
  • medium-scale
  • large-scale
Land ownership
  • state
  • company
  • communal/ village
  • group
  • individual, not titled
  • individual, titled
Land use rights
  • open access (unorganized)
  • communal (organized)
  • leased
  • individual
Water use rights
  • open access (unorganized)
  • communal (organized)
  • leased
  • individual
Access to services and infrastructure
health

poor
good
education

poor
good
technical assistance

poor
good
employment (e.g. off-farm)

poor
good
markets

poor
good
energy

poor
good
roads and transport

poor
good
drinking water and sanitation

poor
good
financial services

poor
good

Impacts

Socio-economic impacts
Crop production
decreased
increased

Socio-cultural impacts
food security/ self-sufficiency
reduced
improved

conflict mitigation
worsened
improved

Improved livelihoods and human well-being
decreased
increased


yes, greatly

Ecological impacts
surface runoff
increased
decreased

soil moisture
decreased
increased

soil cover
reduced
improved

soil loss
increased
decreased

Off-site impacts
downstream flooding (undesired)
increased
reduced

Cost-benefit analysis

Benefits compared with establishment costs
Short-term returns
very negative
very positive

Long-term returns
very negative
very positive

Benefits compared with maintenance costs
Short-term returns
very negative
very positive

Long-term returns
very negative
very positive

Climate change

Gradual climate change
annual temperature increase

not well at all
very well
Answer: not known
Climate-related extremes (disasters)
local rainstorm

not well at all
very well
local windstorm

not well at all
very well
drought

not well at all
very well
general (river) flood

not well at all
very well

Adoption and adaptation

Percentage of land users in the area who have adopted the Technology
  • single cases/ experimental
  • 1-10%
  • 10-50%
  • more than 50%
Of all those who have adopted the Technology, how many have done so without receiving material incentives?
  • 0-10%
  • 10-50%
  • 50-90%
  • 90-100%
Has the Technology been modified recently to adapt to changing conditions?
  • Ja
  • Nee
To which changing conditions?
  • climatic change/ extremes
  • changing markets
  • labour availability (e.g. due to migration)

Conclusions and lessons learnt

Strengths: land user's view
  • Good for erosion control

    How can they be sustained / enhanced? Continued practice of the technology
Strengths: compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
  • Ease of establishing the technology.

    How can they be sustained / enhanced? More scientific research
  • Transferrability/ Acceptability
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: land user's viewhow to overcome
  • More researches should be done to prove the effectiveness and efficiency of the technology as soil and water conservation technology. Allow research authorities to conduct researches in their farm.
Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks: compiler’s or other key resource person’s viewhow to overcome
  • Somehow labor intensive Mechanization but should be regulated, productivity of the soil should not be compromised.

References

Compiler
  • Philippine Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies
Editors
  • Baldwin Pine
Reviewer
  • Eduardo Alberto
  • Alexandra Gavilano
Date of documentation: Julie 24, 2015
Last update: Mei 22, 2017
Resource persons
Full description in the WOCAT database
Linked SLM data
Documentation was faciliated by
Institution Project
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareaAlike 4.0 International