Where To Quickly Find What You Don’t Know About Agriculture – The Human-Assembled Library of Inspired Knowledge in Agriculture (HALiKA). Coming Up!

After 116 Years of UP Los Baños, this is how much we Filipinos publicly know about Soils and how they influence Philippine Agriculture – Negligible!?

Above, below the image “Illusion Of Knowledge” (en.shortcogs.com), it says, “I am under the impression that I know and understand more than what I really know and understand”! Don’t look at Frank A Hilario – as an indefatigable writer, I always accept when confronted with what I do not know. I don’t have to be ignorant or un-informed – what I definitely know is that there’s always the Internet – where you get all sorts of answers to your asked (and unasked) questions.

Does the UP College of Agriculture, now UP Los Baños, have the illusion of super knowledge in agriculture? I don’t know. What I do realize is that UPLB is now 116 years old (being founded by Americans on 08 March 1908) – but the past century has not educated UP Los Baños with, for instance, mastery if not full knowledge of soil fertility!? (Unashamed, I am saying this about my alma mater, where I graduated 1965 with a BSA Ag Educ, 2.36 pt “Satisfactory”.)

UPLB probably does not think knowledge of natural soil fertility is important, very important, most important. Or, it does think that but does not put in writing or where anyone can access such knowledge. Unfortunately.

I am reading the non-Filipino “How To Improve Soil Fertility” (Post by Nchimunya Mazuba & Mozes Habanji, Facebook sharing 28 Sept 2024 by William Dar, my favorite Secretary of Agriculture). Here’s the Mazuba-Habanji List:

1.    Practice crop rotation.

2.    Use organic fertilizers.

3.    Reduce tillage.

4.    Irrigate wisely.

5.    Plant cover crops.

Now The Editor In Chief speaks: The title is “How To Improve Soil Fertility,” mind you, not “How To Maintain Soil Fertility.” The difference is huge! “Improve” means the soil itself has to be prompted to/cannot by itself conserve its fertility. “Maintain” means the soil can and if allowed, should be able to conserve its fertility – naturally!

Considering the above list, I agree only with #1 and #5 – I know organic fertililzers are not that necessary if you practice Regenerative Agriculture (RA) and not Chemical Agriculture (CA). (Why RA and not CA? That should be in HALiKA.)

1. Practice crop rotation

“By planting different crops in a specific order, farmers can help to prevent soil nutrient depletion and improve soil structure. This method also helps in breaking pest and disease cycles, promoting healthier crops overall.”

Yes.

5. Plant cover crops

Wikipedia says (“Cover Crops,” en.wikipedia.org):

“In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife.”

Got it?

Remember HALiKA. Except that it has yet to be built. I still have to find a financial sponsor for my dream Internet website for farmers anywhere to be able to farm gainfully and rise from poverty to prosperity!@517