5. Practice selective logging and regular pruning of trees. Some of the standing mahogany trees should be harvested for lumbering. The felled trees can be used later on for housing construction and furniture after kiln-drying or natural air drying and treated against wood pests.
Malformed trees should be removed to improve the stand of the trees but replanting should be done. As also observed, the branches of the mahogany trees should be pruned as mutual shading reduces the photosynthetic potential of smaller trees, thereby slowing their growth. The pruned branches can be used for fuel wood and charcoal.
6. Put up a nursery for seedlings. An area should be identified for a nursery. If possible, a greenhouse should be a component of the nursery. It can be an improvised structure constructed from mahogany saplings, bamboos, and plastic screens. The seedlings of vegetables and other cash crops are very vulnerable to pathogens, pests, and diseases. Having a nursery will help in crop caring activities.
7.Acquire basic tools and equipment. Some of the essential basic tools for the agri-projects are hoes, spade, rakes, pruning shears, knives, grasscutters, sprayers, and a chain saw if possible. For the integrated farming system, land preparation will require a power tiller and even a carabao but these can be rented from the adjacent farms. A mechanical tresher and winnower can likewise be rented whenever necessary.
8.Warehouse for farm supplies and equipment. This should also be made available to protect inputs and equipment from getting exposed to natural weather.
9.Explore the possibility of using solar energy and wind turbine. The cost of a 300-sq ft photovoltaic panels to generate 22,100 KWH/year is about $50,000 (much lower if self-installed). With a life expectancy of 30 years, however, the cost per kilowatt is only $0.075 or P3.31 per kilowatt. That is relatively cheaper than ILECO-1’s rate of about P11.00 per KWH. On the other hand, wind turbines under 100 kilowatts cost roughly $3,000 to $5,000 per kilowatt of capacity. That means a 10 kilowatt machine (the size needed to power an average home) might cost $35,000-$50,000. Something to think about.
Goducate, with its mission of helping young adults in China to help themselves, has opened a second Lifepegs student activity center in southern China. The new center is located in one of the city’s major campus districts with a student population of 60,000 to 70,000 from 8 universities.
The core team of 3 native workers trained by Goducate worked hard to renovate and get the center started within 28… Continue reading
Five of the first batch of trainees who completed the Goducate training program for basketball officials did not have to wait long to get their first jobs. And the jobs were not for matches at village level (where they had done their training), but at inter-university level. This job opportunity for out-of-school youth arose with the 10-day visit of the Indonesian Youth Team from West Java to play against eight… Continue reading
Goducate believes in encouraging the students at the literacy centers to read. However, it has not been easy to set up a library, or somewhere to store books securely. For one thing the centers are scattered over a wide area. For another, many centers are the living rooms of the locals into which the students squeeze for their lessons, while others are very basic structures consisting just of a roof… Continue reading
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