Technological innovation assures Leyte lettuce growers of good harvest

TACLOBAN City – A group of farmers below is reaping the advantages of fashionable farming working with an clever green box, making sure high quality harvest of significant-value crops irrespective of the time.

By way of indoor farming, the 32-member La Granja Farmers and Agriventures Affiliation has been harvesting at minimum 180 kilograms of clean lettuce weekly for the requirement of large-conclusion places to eat in this city and some sections of Samar.

“We are assured of ongoing source whatsoever comes. I am giving our customers risk-free, clear, and nutritious foodstuff. This is a really excellent engineering,” claimed Martina Reyna, farmer proprietor of La Granja based mostly in Diit village listed here, on Thursday.

Dubbed the Intelligent Inexperienced Box (IGB), it is a vertical farming approach of cultivating crops stacked upwards, in utilised container vans, using fewer space than conventional farming.

Considering that this approach takes up less resources these as water and land, it then turns into a feasible option for good metropolitan areas, in accordance to the Division of Science and Technology (DOST).

“In terms of good quality, there is a whole lot of improvement due to the fact the temperature, humidity, and lights are managed,” Reyna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) for the duration of the farm check out of important DOST officers.

“We assume that this know-how will aid Japanese Visayas realize foodstuff stability even with the actuality that the region faces the brunt of solid storms just about every year,” DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña claimed.

Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said the technology will motivate the youthful technology to go after modern farming.

“We need to have to make this technology obtainable for our youthful technology to appreciate it. This will definitely tackle poverty and strengthen the wellbeing situation of our little ones,” Petilla mentioned.

The 20-footer container van has been cultivating 860 lettuce vegetation considering the fact that it was established up last September 2021 in partnership with the DOST, Leyte provincial authorities, Eastern Visayas Point out University, and the farmers’ group.

“In the past, our lettuce crops ended up uncovered to serious warmth and pests. The top quality was not that great, and the benefit was only PHP200 for each kilogram. With indoor farming, we can now sell our lettuce at PHP400 per kilogram,” Reyna included.

The IGB engineering optimizes indoor farming practices suited to the disorders of the location and permits the increasing of high-benefit crops in a weather-managed environment.

The task is element of DOST’s iSTART (Innovation, Science, and Engineering Accelerating Regional Technological innovation-Based Progress) system exactly where community authorities units are assisted in producing a know-how-based mostly progress strategy for agri-based mostly, producing, and providers sectors. Leyte is one particular of the pilot provinces in this undertaking.

By iSTART, DOST will attract Metro Manila inhabitants and other remarkably urbanized places to return to their provinces of origin or devote in new enterprises and other science and technology undertakings. (PNA)