Philippine E-Journals

IMPACT OF THE STBF FARM ON BANANA PRODUCTION IN CAGAYAN VALLEY

Fredisminda M. Dolojan

 

Abstract:

The performance of the Science and Technology-Based Farm (STBF) on banana production in Cagayan Valley was assessed in terms of the level of adoption, the socio-economic benefits, sustainability expressed in terms of the extent of the utilization of the interventions, the factors affecting level of adoption, and the socio-economic benefits of the adopter-respondents. There were four Magsasaka Siyentistas (MS) who received formal training for the implementation of banana varieties such as cavendish (Villaverde, Nueva Vizcaya), lakatan (Diffun, Quirino), latundan (Alfonsolista, Ifugao), and saba (Angadanan, Isabela). The respondents were the 66 adopters from the four areas. Results showed that there were three interventions of the STBF that gained high level of adoption: weeding regularly, deleafing of infected leaves, and desuckering. The different STBF components that obtained low level of adoption were: the use of ethrylin enhancing fruit ripening, watering of lakatan plants, regular fertilizer application, proper planting distance, propping of fruit bearing plants, bagging of fruits, and the least adopted was the use of tissueculture derived planting materials. Only three of the interventions in the STBF were sustainably or continually utilized by the respondents and these were weeding, deleafing, and desuckering. Among the difficulties on the adoption of the STBF were: production-related and financial factors, the attack of banana bunchy top (BBTV) and sigatoka diseases, and calamities such as typhoons.