Itawes Farming
Itawes Farming
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ABSTRACT
The result showed that the Itawes rice farmers of Tuguegarao are
engaged in traditional ways of farming. They still use traditional tools and
equipment in planting and harvesting grains. The rice farmers are practicing
their traditional animistic beliefs for good luck and thanksgiving for their good
harvest. Also, participants are hesitant to adopt the use of the modernized
machines in rice farming due to lack of financial capabilities and low skills in
terms of technological competence.
INTRODUCTION
The Philippines has been one of the countries distributing rice in other
countries. Dawe (2006) stressed that the geography of the Philippines is the
reason why it became a net importer of rice. The Philippines which has little
arable land suitable for growing rice and lacks those large river deltas, are
present in traditional exporting countries. The Department of Agriculture
(2014) declared that the Cagayan Valley region persist to be the top rice
producer in the Philippines and Cagayan province as second in rice
production. Alviar (2014) said that the Cagayan Valley was able to harvest
22.98 percent of the total rice production and of that 2.08 million metric tons
rice production as of 2013, the province of Cagayan contributed much to the
rice production with 724,622 metric tons.
trade and industry. Tugegarao City, Cagayan is a big city in terms of area
with 14, 480 hectares and its socio-economic rate is very high. However of the
growing and rapid improvement of the industries and infrastructure of this city
still many people living here considered farming as their primary source of
income with the use of traditional techniques, methods and beliefs in farming.
METHODS
of the Itawes farmers of Tuguegarao City. Under interview, in order for the
participants to understand the question clearly and have a good flow of
conversation the researchers used local language such as Itawes and
Tagalog since most of the participants are using these languages.
.
RESULTS
Years of Farming
10 – 20 years 10 25.00
21 – 30 years 8 20.00
31 – 40 years 13 32.50
41 – 50 years 9 22.50
Mean Years of Farming 31
Rice Farming Status
Owned 21 52.50
Tenant 19 47.50
Total 40 100.00
PLANTING
Methods Frequency Percentage
Transplanting 29 72.50
Direct Seeding 11 27.50
Total 40 100.00
HARVESTING
Hitting- Rice 9 22.50
Thresher 31 77.50
Total 40 100.00
Gapas 40 100.00 1
Kareta 38 95.00 2
Suyud 32 80.00 4
Thresher 28 70.00 5
Bilaw 27 67.50 6
Saki 36 65.00 3
Aradu 24 60.00 7
Padanum/Bomba 21 52.50 8
Chakut 19 47.50 9
Kalekay 16 40.00 10
Daleday 13 32.50 12
Kuliglig 10 25.00 13
They use native chicken as one of the offering before planting to honor the
gods or spirits and after harvesting for their thanksgiving. Some of the Itawes
rice field farmers offer only the blood but others offer either of the head,
organs or feet of the chicken. While some combine the sauteed head, feet,
organs and blood for tunnag (offering). The organs of the chicken symbolize
the good production of grains.
Procedure:
1. Cut the neck of the chicken to get the blood and put it in a
container.
2. Put the chicken in a boiling water to easily remove the feather.
3. Separate the organs, feet and head of the chicken from the
body.
4. Saute the organs, feet, head and the blood of the chicken.
5. The sauted parts and blood of the chicken will put together.
6. It will be put in any corner of the rice field.
Procedure:
Procedure:
1. Choose the best rice to offer in order to
have a good quality of rice in the next
harvesting.
2. Put a small account of rice in a container
and put together with the other offering.
Procedure:
1. Shave off as much of the
outer shell of the coconut.
2. Cut the coconut in half with
a knife. Drain the coconut
milk into jar.
3. Scoop out the meat of the
coconut with chinsel and
place the meat into a bowl.
4. Add 3 cups of warm water in
every 2 cups of coconut
meat.
5. Separate the liquid from the
coconut meat.
6. Boil slowly the liquid until it becomes oil.
7. Put small amount of oil in a container and put it together
with the other offerings.
Almost all of the rice farmers used the pinassug or Biko rice
cake as their offer. Other cooks the sticky rice without any other
ingredients. This is offered by the farmers in order to have good
fortune to stick and to have a good harvest.
Procedure:
1. Prepare at least 2 cups of
sticky rice or glutinous rice.
2. Separate the liquid from
the coconut meat.
3. Put water into the sticky
rice and cook it in a low
fire.
4. Melt the sugar (brown
sugar) in the liquid of
coconut.
5. Mixed the cooked sticky
rice with the liquid of
coconut with melted sugar.
DISCUSSION
The aim of this study was to determine the different rice farming
methods, tools and indigenous beliefs of the Itawes rice farmers of
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. It was revealed that in terms of sex, the male rice
field farmers dominate than female rice field farmers in Tuguegarao City,
Cagayan. This shows that male farmers are acting as the farm managers. It
was also shown that most of the Itawes farmers belong to the cluster of 41 to
50 years old. Pangilinan (2014) stressed that the average age of the farmers
in the Philippines is 57.This is only few years away from the mandatory
retirement age of 60 and 65. This is also attributed to some factors in
experience and readiness of rice farming. On the other hand, in terms of the
civil status of the participants, it was revealed that almost all are already
married. It was also revealed that almost all of the participants are elementary
undergraduate. The average level of educational attainment of the rice
farmers is in grade 5 only. The result of the interview revealed that before
farners have not realized how important education is in their life especially
during their childhood days. One interviewee said that, “awan kakwartu mi
antare sayang laman pang gatang langin kang makan” (we have no money
and I’m just wasting my money so I rather just buy foods). Saliot (2014)
stipulated the limited education make less receptive to new farming
technologies that can boost yields in the face of growing losses from volatile
weather. It was also revealed that most of the participants indulged in rice
farming for 31 to 40 years. This shows that expertise can be attributed, in part,
to greater experience in rice farming and they lived on the land they presently
cultivate. The result further revealed that there is almost equal number of both
farm owners and tenants in terms of rice farming status.
The study also revealed that there were two rice farming methods
which were used by the Itawes farmers in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. After
preparing the rice field, almost all the participants were using transplanting
method in planting. In harvesting, thresher was primary used by the
participants to separate grain crops from grain. In transplanting, seedlings are
already prepared and ready for transplanting in the field. Transplanting is done
in one of the two methods: Random method, in which seedlings are
transplanted without a definite distance or space between plants. Straight- row
method, on the other hand follows a uniform spacing and distance between
plants. Direct seeding is the other method of growing rice which focuses on
direct seeding rice with dry land preparation. In harvesting, thresher is the
most common method used by the participants in separating grain crops from
grain or seeds and straw. “Palpag” (hitting-rice) was also used by the
participants when There is no thresher available. This method is to hit
harvested rice into a hard material in order to separate the grains from the
plant, in a paddy field.
On one hand, the study also revealed the traditional tools and
equipment used by the Itawes rice farmers of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. The
traditional tools and equipment being utilized are Gapas which refers to an
agricultural hand- held tool with a variously curved blade used for cutting
grass or harvesting grain crops; hand tractor used to pull a harrow and plow in
preparing a large area of land; Thresher is a machine used for separating
grain crops from grain or seeds and straw; Backpack Sprayer a spraying
apparatus consisting of a knapsack tank together with pressurizing device,
and sprayer nozzle, used chiefly in fire control and in spraying fungicides or
insecticides; Kuliglig which refers to an improvised hand tractor vehicle
composed of two- wheeled tractor in front and two- wheeled trailer at the end
that was used for daily transportation and carrier of some farmers; Kareta
which refers to a traditional carabao driven rice field carriage; Aradu which
refers to a traditional plow with the use of carabao to pull through the rice
paddy: Padanum/Bomba which refers to a machine used to increase the
pressure of water to move it on another place to supply water in the rice
field; Bilaw Itawes term for native flat tray,to separate the heavier seeds from
the empty or lighter ones and from dust panicles and straw which may contain
or attract insects; Daleday known as ulnas this is an all- purpose utility sled of
wood and bamboo that was hitch by nuang (carabao); Suyud a big rake that is
use to get the grasses and to push the excess of mud into another place to
finish the planning of the rice field; Saki is a trey use to load the rice grain after
drying it under the sun; Kalekay rake, used for drawing together the rice grains
that was being dried. These are the traditional tools and equipment used by
the Itawes farmers for preparing the rice field, planting to harvesting grains.
Sekgowa (2012) states, most of the people living in rural areas are poor and
only through farming where they could get their needs to support their
families. Marginalized or poor people who cannot afford to buy new farming
tools and equipment are stick on their traditional ways of farming. Conrad
(2013) and Saliot (2014) farmers are still using the traditional ways of farming
due to lack of financial capabilities and knowledge to use the new farming
technologies or the modern ways of farming.
harvest is not good in order to burn and rid off the bad luck for rice planting.
Also the farmers believed that it will bring good production for the next
harvest. There is a scientific reason why farmers burn the rice residue is to
remove or incorporate into the soil, to make it as a fertilizer and to prepare the
fields for the next rice crop.
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study revealed that the Itawes rice farmers still
practice the traditional ways of rice farming. Still Itawes rice farmers are using
the traditional tools and equipment in planting and harvesting grains. The
participants practice their traditional animistic beliefs for good luck and
thanksgiving. Participants are hesitant to adopt the use of the modernized
machines in rice farming due to lack of financial capabilities and low skills in
terms of technological competence.
RECOMMENDATIONS
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