Ipil-ipil with Annual and Perennial Crops

Land Preparation

This involves the establishment of contour strips on the rolling site and the subsequent land cultivation as discussed below:

Making the A-frame. The A-frame is a simple device for laying out contour lines across the slope. It is made of a carpenter level and three wooden or bamboo poles nailed or tied together in the shape of a capital letter A with a base of about 90 cm wide (Constructing an A-frame). The carpenter level is mounted on the crossbar.

Finding the contour lines. One leg of the A-frame is planted on the ground, then the other leg is swung until the carpenter level shows that both legs are touching the ground on the same level. A helper drives a stake beside the frame's rear (first) leg. The same level-finding process is repeated with stakes every 5 -meter distance along the way until one complete contour line is laid out, and until the whole slope is covered.

Each contour line is spaced from 4 to 6 m apart for a steep hill, and 7 to 10 m apart for a more gradual one.

Cultivating the contour lines. One-meter strips along contour lines are plowed and harrowed until ready for planting. The stakes serve as guide during plowing.

Planting

this involves the planting of the ipil-ipil hedgerows, the permanent or perennial crops, then finally the short term or annual crops. The details are discussed below.

Planting ipil-ipil seeds. On each prepared contour line, two furrows are laid out. Four to six giant ipil-ipil seeds are planted per hill at a distance of 12 cm between hills. The seeds are covered firmly with soil. When fully grown, the ipil-ipil hedgerows bank the soil and serve as fertilizer.

Planting the permanent crops. The space of land between the thick rows of ipil-ipil is called a strip where crops are planted at the same time that the ipil-ipil seeds are sown. Only the spots for planting are cleared and dug; and later, only ring weeding is employed until the ipil-ipil trees are large enough to hold the soil for full cultivation to begin.

Permanent crops are planted in one strip out of every four. This refers to strips 1, 4, 7, 10, and so on.

Coffee, banana, citrus, cacao, and others of the same height are good examples of permanent crops. Tall crops are planted at the bottom of the hill while the short ones are planted at the top.

Cultivating alternate strips. The soil can be cultivated even before the ipil-ipil trees are fully grown (about finger-size in diameter or 2 m in height). Cultivation is done on alternate strips, on strips, from higher cultivated strips. When the ipil-ipil is full grown,every strip can be cultivated.

Planting the short-term crops. Short-and medium-term income producing crops are planted between strips of permanent crops as source of food and regular income, while waiting for the permanent crops to bear fruits. Suggested crops are pineapple, ginger, gabi, castor beans, camote, peanuts, melons, sorghum, corn, rice, etc. To avoid shading, short plants are planted away from tall ones.

Trimming of Ipil-Ipil

Once a month, continuously growing ipil-ipil is cut down at a height of 1 m from the ground. Cut ipil-ipil leaves and twigs are always piled at the base of the crops. They serve as an excellent organic fertilizer for the plants. This way, only minimal amount of commercial fertilizer, if any, is necessary.

Replanting and Crop Management

The non-permanent crops are always rotated to maintain productivity, fertility, and good soil formation. A good way of doing this is to plant grains (rice, corn, etc.), tubers (camote, gabi, etc.) and other crops (pineapple, castor beans, etc.) in strips where legumes (beans, peanuts, etc.) were planted previously; and vice versa. Other crop management practices, such as weeding, insect and weed control, are also done regularly.

To enrich the soil and effectively control erosion, straws, stalks, twigs, branches, leaves, rocks and stones are always piled at the base of the thick rows of ipil-ipil. As the years go by, strong, permanent and naturally green terraces will be formed which hold the soil in place.

Harvesting

When this cropping scheme is fully established, harvesting of the different annual and perennial crops is interspersed throughout the year. This provides continuous source of food and income for the upland farmer. After the harvest of each annual crop, the land can be prepared again for the subsequent crop as recommended above under the section on crop management.

Source: The Committee for Agroforestry, 1986. The Philippines Recommends for Agroforestry, PCARRD, Laguna, 90p.