Assessment of the Seed Supply System of Sweet Potato in
Cantaongon, Loon,
CBDC Bohol Project, SEARICE, Philippines
Year: 2001
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This study was conducted in 1997 to (1)
identify the criteria for selection of sweet potato planting
material for the market; (2) to determine the gender roles in the
seed supply system of sweet potato; (3) to determine the effect of
introducing varieties in Cantaongon on Sandingan sweet potato
diversity; and (4) to describe the marketing system of the sweet
potato planting material. The respondents were classified as
farmer-producers, farmer-buyers and middlemen. A one-day community
workshop using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) was conducted
for the farmer-producers in Cantaongon. Farmer-buyers and
middlemen were personally interviewed.
Results showed that the criteria for
selection of sweet potato varieties included general plant
behavior, especially vine production for farmer-producers and
middlemen and root production for farmer-buyers. This criterion
determines the marketability of the variety. Secondary criteria
were fine texture and sweet flesh of the roots because of their
utilization for home consumption. In terms of gender roles, both
spouses were involved in all the production activities but women
were more active in the marketing activities. This was related to
the role of women in the household as the one in charge of
finances both in the household and in the farm.
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Biodiversity can be defined as the extent of variation
and the number of different kinds of life forms. It occurs at the
interspecific or community level and at the intraspecific or varietal
level (Prain and Bagalanon 1994). It is considered a backbone of
agricultural development because it is the ultimate source of all vital
"raw materials" for food, medicine, clothing and industry.
Sweet potato is one of the most commonly grown
rootcrops in the Philippines today (PRCTRC 1991). The diversity of the
crop has an economic but still untapped potential that must be conserved
and developed. It is no longer a backyard crop as there are already
farmers who cultivate it for added family income. One reason for the
growing interest in sweet potato is its shorter growing period as compared
to other rootcrops, and its good production on almost all soil types. It
has also become a choice of many poor Filipino farmers in remote areas who
till marginal lands and hillsides not suitable for rice and corn.
In the context of this perspective, the CBDC programme
has been introducing new genetic materials in several areas in Bohol to
increase genetic diversity. One of the areas where the CBDC programme in
Bohol is active is Sandingan, an island on the coast, belonging to the
municipality of Loon. The findings of the plant genetic resources (PGR)
survey in Sandingan Island showed that the sweet potato farmers in the
area rely on planting materials produced in other villages from mainland
Bohol. Growers in Sandingan and other coastal barangays found it hard to
maintain the stand of the crop after harvest until the next cropping
because of limited rainfall and dry condition that prevent proper storage.
Thus, many sweet potato varieties have been lost. The sweet potato growers
of Sandingan depend much on the varieties provided by enterprising growers
from the uplands of Bohol.
Every planting period in Sandingan, which starts in
August and September, sweet potato farmers buy vines from traders in
Catagbacan, a trading village about 5 km from the island and serves as a
"crossing" between Cantaongon and Panggangan. The traders in
turn get their supply of the planting materials from farmers in nearby
mountain villages that grow sweet potato primarily for vine production.
One of these mountain villages is Cantaongon, 10 km away from Sandingan.
The unique seed supply system has existed for many years and is a reliable
source of planting materials for farmers in Sandingan and the nearby
islands of Cabilao and Panggangan. However, there are only two varieties
that are being commonly planted in the area and there is an enormous
volume of planting material required.
To address these problems, the CBDC project studied the
local seed supply system and adopted the approach of PVS (participatory
varietal selection) which is selecting from stable materials of sweet
potato. With this, the project hoped to contribute to the in situ conservation
of this crop. Specific objectives were:
- to identify the criteria for selection of sweet potato planting
materials for the market;
- to determine the marketing system of the sweet potato material;
- to determine gender roles in the seed supply system of sweet
potato; and
- to determine the effect of introducing varieties from Cantaongon
in the Sandingan sweet potato diversity.
Types and Methods of Data Collection
Primary data were obtained through one-day community
workshops using PRA in which a checklist of information and the
appropriate PRA tools for communication were used. Systematised results of
the workshops were presented back to the respondents for validation. A
second source of primary data was the personal interviews with other
respondents. Secondary data on Cantaongon were obtained from the CBDC
library and in coordination with the barangay captain of the area.
Identification of Study Areas and Respondents
The study areas were Cantaongon, Sandingan, Cabilao and
Pangangan. Catagbacan was principally chosen as study area because it is
the most popular source of sweet potato planting materials for the coastal
barangays. Sandingan was chosen because it is one of the CBDC project
areas for rootcrops.
The respondents were classified as farmer-producers,
farmer-buyers and middlemen. Farmer-producers refer to farmers who have
been planting sweet potato primarily for the vine cuttings as planting
materials. For the purpose of the study, only farmer-producers from
Cantaongon were interviewed. They were identified with the help of the
barangay captain or village head who invited the farmer-producers.
Sampling size was not set, as the respondents were only those available
during the day of the community workshops.
Farmer-buyers refer to farmers who have been planting
sweet potato primarily for root production. Five farmer-buyers each from
Sandingan, Cabilao and Panggangan were interviewed. Farmer-buyers from
Cabilao and Pangangan were chosen based on the recommendation of the
village head in the said areas. Farmer-buyers in Sandingan were chosen
randomly among CBDC farmer-partners.
Middlemen are the sweet potato traders of planting
materials as identified by the farmer-producers during the workshops. The
study included middlemen only from Catagbacan, a trading village about 5
km from Sandingan.
Background of Sweet Potato Farming in Cantaongon
Through a PRA involving selected farmer-producers of
Cantaongon, a timeline was obtained from the 1920s to the 1990s. The
participants recalled the varieties of sweet potato planted throughout
these years. Sweet potato farming was described by the characteristics of
varieties, uses of the crop, reasons for displacement of some cultivars,
and other crops planted.
Timeline of sweet potato inCan taongon, Loon, Bohol
|
Year |
Variety |
Characteristics |
Uses |
Source of sweet potato |
Reasons for loss or maintenance of variety |
Other crops planted |
|
1923 |
Calugti |
- red skin, white root |
home consumption |
parents, ancestors |
Discarded due to late maturity (4 months |
Rice, corn, cassava, banana, peanut, yam, taro,
vegetables |
|
1930 |
Turok Banwa
Samarino
Manguilis |
- white
- white skin, white root, late maturing
- pink skin, white root, early maturing |
consumption |
parents, relatives, ancestors |
- few quantity still available
- few quantity still available
- discarded variety |
|
1950 |
Kabaliw
Kamanlin |
- red skin, yellow root
- white skin, white root |
- consumption
- consumption and sale of vines
|
neighbors for free |
- discarded because of broad leaves |
|
1957 |
Ka Pineng |
Brown skin, white root |
Consumption and market |
neighbors |
- still existing |
|
1960 |
San Pedro
Hinugabang |
- red skin, yellow root
- pink skin, white root
|
-consumption and market
- consumption and sale of vines and roots |
neighbors |
- still existing
- still existing |
|
1980 |
Tapul |
- white skin, violet root |
consumption and sale of roots |
Candavid |
few still exist |
|
1995 |
Cahuling |
white skin, white root, high root production |
consumption |
Candavid |
still existing |
Varieties Planted
The farmer-participants began the timeline as early as
1923 when the eldest farmer among the farmer-producers mentioned the
variety called Calugti, characterized by red skin and white root.
It was utilized mainly for home consumption and planting materials came
from the farmers’ parents and ancestors. He said that the variety was
discarded because of its late maturity.
In the 1930s, varieties included Turok Banwa,
Samarino and Manguilis. All the said varieties came from the
parents, ancestors and relatives of the farmers and were used for
consumption. Both the Turok Banwa and Samarino are still
being maintained up to the present and available in few quantities. Only
the Manguilis has been discarded because of poor root production.
There were two varieties, Kabaliw and Kamanlin,
in the 1950s. Both were acquired from neighbors free because farmers were
always sharing their planting materials to other farmers. This free
exchange of materials has been the basis of maintaining the diversity in
their sweet potato fields. However, the original source was not mentioned.
The two varieties were used for consumption but the vines of Kamanlin
were sold in the market. Kabaliw was discarded because of its broad
vines while Kamanlin was discarded because it was late maturing.
The year 1957 was specifically mentioned to be the
period where the variety KaPining became popular among the farmers.
It has brown skin and white roots. This variety still exists because it is
used not only for consumption but also sold in the market.
The 1960s was the period when two varieties, San Pedro
and Hinugabang, became known. These are still existing and being
maintained by the farmers. Both have reddish skin but San Pedro produces
yellow roots while Hinugabang produces white roots. These have been
acquired from neighbors.
Reasons for Loss of Varieties
Several reasons accounted for the loss of sweet potato
varieties. However, the loss is usually a selection against those
varieties or they are consciously replaced because of poor performance. In
the case of the farmer-producers from Cantaongon, the sweet potato
varieties eroded were late maturing, which indicates that late maturing
varieties are always at risk of genetic erosion. The reason behind this is
that sweet potato will be replaced by crops that have higher market value.
Sandingan, Cabilao and Pangangan are coastal barangays
that often experience long dry seasons such as the El Niño that cause the
wilting and drying of sweet potato vines. This resulted to the loss of
planting materials for the next cropping season. Eventually, some sweet
potato varieties will be lost due to environmental factors. Majority of
the eroded varieties was susceptible to heat.
Farming System of Farmer-producers
A seasonal calendar was obtained from a PRA workshop
where the farmer-producers listed down their sweet potato farming
activities. It was found out that sweet potato farming and farm activities
depend upon the rainfall distribution or the availability of water.
The planting and harvesting seasons are the busiest
time for the farmers. These activities are directly related to their
economic capacity. This is because before planting, they incur expenses
for labor, planting materials and fertilizers that they have to pay during
harvest.
Field preparation starts at the onset of the rainy
season in May. This includes making of mounds of hills for root
production, plowing and planting itself. By June, the activities are
mainly weeding and cleaning of areas. After three months, in August, roots
can already be harvested while the vines for consumption can be harvested
after three to four weeks. An apical cutting for planting materials are
harvested at the same time with the roots which measure about 12-31 cm
long. The signs that the roots are ready for harvest are the emergence of
mature roots, bulging at the base of the plant and yellowing of the leaves
(Mariscal 1987).
Sweet potato is usually planted after corn or rice
depending upon the need of the farmer-buyers, the demand of the
farmer-producers and the crop that has higher market value. The area of
the sweet potato farm depends to some extent of the availability of
cuttings. In general, farmer-producers in Cantaongon do not really run out
of planting materials because after one month, the original plants have
regrown.
The Flow of Sweet Potato Planting Materials in
Cantaongon, Loon, Bohol
Cantaongon Seed Supply System before the Entry of
Middlemen
Before the entry of middlemen in Cantaongon, the seed
supply system of sweet potato was through free exchange of materials among
farmers and this exchange was based on cooperation and reciprocity. A
farmer who wants to exchange materials generally gives an equal quantity
of seed from his field in return for the material he gets. Later, due to
the environmental stress of Sandingan, Cabilao and Panggangan, the
farmer-buyers went directly to farmer-producers in Cantaongon to purchase
planting materials. Otherwise, in order to attain cuttings for the next
season, the farmer-buyers intentionally leave the roots sprout and use
these for the next cropping.
Cantaongon Seed Supply System with the Middlemen
Basically, farmers in Cantaongon produced sweet potato
for planting materials (vines) solely for the market. Most of the farmers
in the area produced only two varieties of sweet potatoes. The most
dominant varieties produced in the area were "Hinugabang" and
"San Pedro", local cultivars that are popular for sweet potato
root production near the coast of Bohol Sandingan, Cabilao and Panggangan.
The two varieties satisfy the farmers' combined
requirements for high root production and superior eating quality (fine
flesh texture). Other varieties tested on earlier occasions were varieties
from the Visayas State College of Agriculture (ViSCA) in Baybay, Leyte and
other local varieties. There had been limited adoption of these varieties
because of low or absence of root production.
Two farmer-producers of the planting materials in the
community were identified during the survey as large producers compared to
other sweet potato farmer-producers. Their landholdings are big compared
with other farmer-buyers who merely intercrop sweet potato with corn. The
sweet potato planting materials were planted in several parcels of land.
The marketing system of the planting materials started
only about five years ago. The entry of the middlemen was due to the
difficulties of the farmer-buyers from Sandingan and Cabilao in purchasing
the planting materials and of the farmer-producers in Cantaongon in
transporting their cuttings from the field to the market. The cost
incurred and the time lost were significant to the farmer-producers. That
was the time when Monica and Carri, the two main middlemen in Catagbacan
saw the need and opportunity for an "assembler" of the vines as
planting materials and as "retailers" for the farmer-buyers.
The system operates as follows: the cuttings from
Cantaongon are brought on motorcycles by the farmer-producers to the
middlemen in Catagbacan. The market is 2 km away from the
farmer-producers' field located at the same municipality in the village of
Catagbacan. The materials are bought by the farmer-buyers themselves in
the market of Catagbacan. The farmer-buyers come from Sandingan (Loon),
Cabilao (Loon) and Panggangan (Calape). The farmers buy the materials when
their field is already prepared for planting. The purchased amount of
planting material depends on the size of area for planting. They normally
order a week in advance without specifying the variety. Only the quantity
of the materials and the time are defined in the arrangement. Thus,
farmers buy whatever varieties are available in the market just to ensure
that their fields will be planted.
The farmer-buyers are interested in new varieties and
will try them in their fields. Their assessment of the new variety’s
performance is crucial because it will help them decide whether to select
and plant the new material for the next season or discard it. Planting
materials for the next season are bought in the market most of the time,
because they cannot store the materials after harvesting, especially
during the dry period starting from February to April, the hottest period.
Variety Introduction of CBDC
The CBDC project introduced eight new sweet potato
varieties from ViSCA, an educational institution for rootcrops, in
Cantaongon in 1997 as an approach in conserving sweet potato genetic
resources. The planting materials were given to Mr Narciso Masing, a known
major producer of sweet potato planting materials in the area. The
objective behind introducing the new materials was to increase the
diversity of sweet potato varieties in Cantaongon from which the planting
materials can be supplied to Sandingan. This introduction served as plant
varietal selection (PVS) and can therefore increase genetic diversity and
options for production in both areas.
In November 1997, farmer-buyers who are partners of the
CBDC project from Sandingan, visited Mr Masing in Cantaongon to collect
the planting materials of eight varieties. They planted and evaluated
these varieties in their own fields in Sandingan. Harvest would normally
be in January or February 1998 and the project planned a sensory
evaluation of the varieties thereafter to determine their eating quality.
Unfortunately, the varieties did not survive the drought caused by El
Niño starting late December. On the other hand, the cooler climate and
adequate rainfall in Cantaongon enabled the new varieties to survive. Mr
Masing had given planting materials to other farmers in the area for free
but not all the varieties were shared because some were not productive.
In August 1998, the project again distributed vines of
these eight varieties to the farmer-producers in Sandingan for field
evaluation. With rainfall going back to normal, it was expected
that the varieties would be able to survive in the field and could be
evaluated. However, the rainfall was too low and only a few of the
planting materials distributed survived.
Criteria for selection of planting materials
The criteria for selection of planting materials depend
primarily on the preferences for varieties. Choice of cultivars is usually
based on environmental factors, as majority of both the farmer-producers
and farmer-buyers preferred those tolerant to heat. This is because the
availability of the planting material depends on its ability to survive
the dry condition common in coastal areas like Sandingan, Cabilao and
Pangangan.
All the farmer-respondents are willing to try new
varieties but they prefer the sweet taste of local varieties. The two most
popular local varieties in the market and to the farmers are Hinugabang
and San Pedro.
Most preferred sweet potato varieties by
all farmer-respondents
|
NAME OF VARIETY |
CHARACTERISTICS |
Hinugabang/Hinogabang/
Sinugabang |
pink skin, white roots, early
maturing, fine texture, produces a lot of tubers, aromatic |
|
San Pedro |
reddish skin, yellow roots,
sweet flesh, tender root, high root production, early maturing,
has many leaves that are suitable as supplement to animal feeds |
General plant characters are observed by
the farmers, especially vine and root production for the farmer-producers,
middlemen and farmer-buyers. This translates to marketability of the
varieties selected. Gastronomic characteristics specifically fine texture
and sweet flesh are also preferred by farmers.
In general, the main criteria of the farmers are yield
capacity and stability. Yield capacity is important for the
farmer-producers because they are selling the vines and using the roots
for consumption and sometimes for the market. Stability refers to
resistance to heat because this determines the varieties adaptability to
the environment.
Gender roles in the seed supply system of sweet
potato
Both spouses are usually involved in all the production
activities of sweet potato. Gender roles depend upon the main source of
livelihood of the family. In cases where the husband had other forms of
occupation such as fishing and carpentry, majority of the sweet potato
farming activities was done by the women and their children (if any). It
includes decision in the choice of planting materials if there are many
available in the market.
Matrix ranking on gender roles in sweet
potato farming
|
FARM ACTIVITIES |
MALE |
FEMALE |
BOTH |
|
Land preparation |
a |
|
|
|
Planting |
|
a |
|
|
Weeding |
|
a |
|
|
Harvesting |
|
|
a |
|
Marketing |
|
a |
|
In planting, making mounds of hills is a very common
practice by both the farmer-producers and farmer-buyers. This is done both
by the men and by women for the crop to produce roots. Hired labor is
usually for weeding at an average rate of P25 per person in 2 hours. In
the case of Pangangan where majority of the farmer-buyers was old, they
usually hire labor for planting at the rate of P40 a day. Harvesting and
marketing are performed with the men carrying the sacks of roots while the
transaction is usually done by the women.
The study showed that the general criteria for sweet
potato are yield and stability. Yield because the market demands high root
production from the farmer-producers thus, they also ensure the volume and
quality of planting materials brought in the market. Stability because of
the environment stress experienced by the farmer-buyers in their areas.
Eating quality was found secondary that both the farmer-producers and
farmer-buyers set aside small amounts for home consumption.
One of the project’s main objective is to enhance the
diversity of sweet potato that it is recommended that PVS in sweet potato
continue. However, a modification is to be made by distributing varieties
that are known and suitable in conditions similar to the areas of the
farmer-buyers like Sandingan. Monitoring and evaluation must also continue
with the farmers’ participation. This can be done by establishing mutual
confidence and trust through familiarity and interaction. Suggested
activities are farmers’ field day and sensory evaluation.
In addition, local knowledge system (LKS) associated
with conservation and development of sweet potato diversity should be
documented because LKS is connected with conserving biodiversity. This is
because not only seeds or planting materials is exchange but also the
tradition and knowledge on seed performance and cultivation. Documenting
LKS is one way of conserving the crop and the culture of ensuring the
sustainability of farming the crop.
The major threat of sweet potato farming is the age of
the farmers. It was found out that majority of the farmers were old.
Unless their children or anyone in the family continues farming, there is
a possibility of loss of sweet potato production. One way of encouraging
continuous planting is by increasing the benefits or incentives derived
from sweet potato utilization, especially the growing of traditional
varieties that are tolerant to pest and diseases and have good eating
quality. This may be done through the PVS because this approach provide
them choices and opportunity for evaluation of new varieties in the hope
of finding material that are suitable to their fields. However, the
results showed that the farmers’ primary concern appears to be more on
short-term survival rather than sustainability. This is the case of the
farmer buyers who cultivate sweet potato mainly for consumption unlike the
farmer-producers who cultivate the crop for the market.
The existing seed supply system is already sustainable
because all sectors are benefited. The farmer-producers are able to earn
from selling the vines aside from using the roots as food and sometimes as
added income. The farmer-buyers are assured of a steady supply of planting
materials and the middlemen benefited from the arrangement. Although the
prices are ultimately decided by the middlemen, the convenience it
provides for the farmer-producers in selling their produce and the
farmer-buyers in facilitating access to the planting materials provide
advantage to both sides.
The effect of the introduction of different varieties
in Cantaongon supposedly to increase diversity did not have the desired
effect because the varieties did not adapt in the areas of the
farmer-buyers. It was only in Cantaongon, the farmer-producers’ area
that the distributed varieties adapted because of adequate rainfall. The
recommendation therefore would be for the project to find other varieties
that can adapt to the conditions of the coastal barangays and conduct
on-farm trials of the varieties. This is to assure that at least the
distributed varieties would provide the farmer-producers enough vines for
planting materials and that the farmer-buyers will be assured that the
tested varieties will produce roots for their consumption.
Eroded varieties based on PRA results and interview
| Name of Varieties |
Characteristics |
|
1. Calugti |
red skin, white root,
susceptible to heat |
|
2. Kabaliw |
low yielding |
|
3. Kabato |
late maturing, high root
production |
|
4. Kabawing |
susceptible to heat |
|
5. Kabuntaw |
low yielding |
|
6. Kagwapa |
late maturing, low-yielding |
|
7. Kalibre/Kinalibre |
does not produce roots at all
seasons |
|
8. Kaluoy-Dios |
low-yielding |
|
9. Kamanlin |
susceptible to drought |
|
10. Kamisong |
no market |
|
11. KaPining |
fine flesh texture, low root
production |
|
12. Kapungko |
susceptible to heat |
|
13. Katalo |
low yielding |
|
14. Katapol |
susceptible to heat |
|
15. Katapwas |
no market |
|
16. Katay |
late maturing |
|
17. Katimpa |
late maturing, low yielding |
|
18. Klarin |
susceptible to heat |
|
19. Kujagbo |
low yielding |
|
20. Manguilis |
late maturing |
|
21. Samariño |
red skin, yellow root, low
yielding |
|
22. Turok Banwa |
susceptible to heat |
List of sweet potato varieties
distributed to Mr Narciso Masing
|
Name of Variety |
Characteristics |
|
1. PRS 408 |
orange skin, orange flesh |
|
2. PRS 418 |
white skin, white flesh |
|
3. UPL SP1 |
reddish pink skin, white flesh,
105-130 days to harvest |
|
4. UPL SP5 |
white skin, white flesh, 110-130
days maturity |
|
5. VSP 7 |
orange skin, orange flesh, 120
days maturity |
|
6. BPI SP2 |
cream skin, cream flesh,120 days
maturity |
|
7. Sige-Sige |
|
|
8. Mani-mani |
reddish skin, cream flesh |
|
9. Siete Flores |
pink skin, white flesh, 3 months
maturity; sweet; red tops |
Bautista A T and Belita A (1981) Indigenous
Knowledge Systems on Sweet Potato Farming AmongMaranao Muslims in Northern
Mindanao, Final Research Report Aug. 1991, VISCA, Baybay, Leyte
6521-A, Philippines.
Bohol Provincial Profile (1992), Provincial Planning
and Development Office Dec. 1993, Bohol, Philippines.
Mariscal A M (1987) Ecological and Cultural
Requirements of Sweet Potato, Rootcrops
Digest, Philippine Rootcrops Information Service, ViSCA,
Baybay, Leyte, Philippines.
Prain G D and Bagalanon C P (1994) Proceedings of
the International Workshop on GeneticResources, UPWARD, Los Baños,
Laguna, Philippines.
Prain G D and Piniero M (1995) Approaches to
Community Based Plant Genetic Resources
Conservation, UPWARD, Los Baños, Laguna,
Philippines.
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