In 2013 Goducate in Bay, Laguna Province, Philippines, had been helping 40 students through the Alternative Learning System (ALS). The ALS is a Philippines Department of Education non-formal education program for people who did not complete their schooling. Of the 40, 31 were mothers, and 4 were fathers. Goducate held twice-weekly classes for them.
On Nov 10, 13 of them conquered their fears and sat for the ALS secondary-level examination held at the San Pedro Memorial National High School.
Nationally, 6135 of 24,998 (24.5%) elementary-level candidates passed their examination, as did 72,076 of 221,598 ( 32.5%) secondary-level candidates. In our town of Bay, more than 1000 took the examinations, and only 3 of the elementary-level candidates and 19 of the secondary-level candidates passed. 4 of the 19 were Goducate students.
The 4 who passed will now be able to sign on for other short training courses or for vocational education. The other 9 Goducate candidate have the option of repeating the course with the 2014 students.
Examination candidates with an instructor on extreme leftOn the way to the examExam results
The use of plant concoctions as foliar spray in crop production is a novel concept for the majority of Indonesian farmers. When I taught them this method recently at a training session in Pekan Baru, Riau Province, it generated a lot of interest.
Specifically, I demonstrated how to prepare fermented fruit juice (FFJ) and fermented plant juice (FPJ). For the FFJ, the materials used were papaya (other possible substitutes are banana, jackfruit, melon, mango, orange, and tomato), brown sugar, water, and a pail. After the papaya skin was peeled and the seeds removed, one kilo of finely cut papaya fruit was combined with one liter of non-chlorinated water plus half kilo of brown sugar. The pail containing the mixture was then covered with old newspaper to screen out dust and insects and kept under a shade. After one week, the juice was extracted from the remaining solid by hand squeezing, separated using a fine mesh sieve, and stored in empty mineral water bottles.
For FPJ, growing parts of leguminous trees such as Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala, and Moringa oleifera (the latter two generally used for fuel wood or fencing, and the third for its nutritional value) or common vegetables such as kangkong (water spinach, Ipomoea aquatic) and sweet potato can be used. The cut stems and leaves were combined with brown sugar and water in the same proportion and by the same procedure as those used for preparing FFJ. Since the cut parts are where active meristematic cell division takes place, the concoction has the added advantage of containing plant growth hormone.
Two tablespoons each of FFJ and FPJ can be mixed separately with one liter of non-chlorinated water and applied as plant nutrients through root drenching. When foliar-sprayed, the concoction is a potent liquid fertilizer, fungicide, and insecticide. It can also be used as nutrient solution for hydroponics.
By teaching them about plant concoctions, Goducate is able help the farmers optimize their crop yield potential and enable them to generate much savings from not buying expensive synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Measuring of PVC tube for hydroponics with fermented plant juice as nutrientPreparation of fermented plant juice
When the severe monsoon rains known as Typhoon Habagat flooded the area around Laguna Bay in August 2012, Goducate helped rehabilitate some of the affected families in Tagumpay by training the men in agricultural skills. With their newly acquired skills, 5 of the men set up a community farm on a piece of land that a former mayor of Bay offered to Goducate. The farm was productive, enabling the men to sell their crops by April 2013.
Unfortunately, in this flood-prone area, the farm was under water again from August to December 2013. During this time one of the men turned to container gardening, growing vegetable hydroponically on other premises, and sold his produce at the market every morning.
Still, the men did not give up on the farm. When the flood subsided in December, they cleaned it up, and with financial help of about PhP 3000 ($67) from Goducate they bought material to start planting again. By the end of February they harvested nearly a ton of vegetables (666kg of pechay [kind of cabbage known as “pak choi” in Chinese], and 333 kg of mustard). By next week they hope to have another harvest of another ton of vegetables. With the sale of these vegetables, the men have been able to repay the loan they took from Goducate.
The 5 men need additional help during planting and harvesting, and have been able to offer part-time jobs to others.
What the buyer rejects is taken by the man who turned to container gardening, to be sold at the market every morning.
New vegetable beds being preparedCarrying sacks of pechay
