Follow intercropping science
Intercropping between coconut trees is widely promoted, but this can be either a blessing or a curse. This all depends on whether science is used. Unfortunately, this is sometimes sorely lacking in some of our critical agriculture endeavors.
Today, two out of our 3 million coconut hectares have nothing planted in between them. It is imperative that this idle land be used productively because our coconut farmers are the poorest in our society, with half living on less than P50 a day. There are 3.5 million coconut farmers covering 3.6 million hectares in 68 of our 82 provinces.
Benefits
Coconut intercropping benefits are impressive. It results in at least double the farmer’s income. According to Good Hands (goodhands.lk), even coconut productivity increases. Examples are a 34-percent and 22-percent increase because of coconut and cacao intercropping, respectively. Even the soil benefits. Soil drainage improves because of the spreading of the intercrop’s roots; fertility increases because of the large amount of organic matter; and erosion caused by heavy rainfall decreases.
Some are told that cacao intercropping is not desirable because the water and nutrients needed by the coconuts will be stolen by the cacao, or that cacao will not thrive well because sunlight is blocked by the coconut leaves.
Science will reveal that the competition for water and nutrients will not occur by avoiding the root zone, which is 6 feet from the coconut tree. The lack of sunlight is solved by the proper spacing of the trees so that the coconut leaves do not block the sunlight.
Science will also provide much more than these pointers. Without this scientific basis, intercropping benefits might be considered fake news when the promised returns do not materialize.
There are other science-based factors to consider. The proper nutrients must be provided for both the coconut and intercrop cultivation. The specific fertilizer, amount and timing should be spelled out. Soil aspects should be addressed, such as water retention and drawing rates, soil texture and soil pH, and different soil characteristics identified for each intercrop. For example, pineapple grows well in waterlogged gravelly soils, while cinnamon is appropriate for sandy soils. There are still other factors to address, such as rainfall and climate, shade, slope and the age of coconut trees.
Science action
In 2021, cacao intercropping was being promoted. At that time, the average cacao yield per plant was 0.6 kilo, way below the break-even yield of 2 kilos. That year, the public-private Philippine Cacao Industry Council (PCIC) created a purely private sector-led Philippine Cacao Industry Association (PCIA) headed by Armi Lopez-Garcia to use science and other creative private sector initiatives for improved productivity and profitability. Since then, PCIC/PCIA has mobilized 26 state universities and colleges, as well as globally recognized cacao experts, to provide the best science and technology. But since coconut intercropping is not limited to cacao, PCIC/PCIA is holding an Oct. 16 to 17 conference in Cebu City to provide the best science-based approaches to improve coconut intercropping. Its theme is “Science of Intercropping Coconut with Cacao +.” The “+” is significant because it will include crops other than cacao.
Global competition success will be largely determined by the best technology. We have some of the very best, but this is not harnessed properly. In fact, our technology is sometimes used by other countries, and not by us, because science and technology have not been given the proper recognition and support. This must be changed, for we must now succeed with science-based agriculture development, and no longer be left behind.
