COMPOSTING

Agriculture is one of the 3 important cornerstones of the economy of the municipality of Buenavista, lime production and fishery being the other 2. Fifty six (56) per cent of the population are engaged in the household-scale production of mango, kalamansi, rice, coconut, corn, cut-flowers and ornamental plans and vegetables like lettuce, eggplant, ampalaya, beans, and okra. Picturesque huts under the shade of mango trees at the edge of a corn or rice field dot the landscape of Guimaras Island. Large areas of land
African night crawlers are shown inside the vermin-compost box. are still covered with rich topsoil, and inhabited by a people harboring an attachment to the land and its produce. Guimaras remains an enclave of an agricultural people. With the prospect of commercial production arising from the establishment of agro-business concerns in the area, the awareness to protect the environment, conserve agricultural resources, and explore ecological options grows among the inhabitants of Buenavista. Over the years, farmers have seen the effects of the application of mineral fertilizers to the fields. They are often at a loss on how to handle chemical cans and containers. The rising costs of commercial fertilizer eat up incomes from their crops. Hazards to human health posed by the use of pesticides can no longer be disregarded. Slowly the concept of organic farming as an alternative to the use of chemicals takes root in the minds of the farmers. Local leaders begin to nurture the vision of the island of Guimaras – with its 5 municipalities as a pesticide-free, organic farming haven. The idea may not be far from feasible since the island itself is small and the institutional mechanisms necessary to organize 5 municipalities need not be so complex.

SWM Coordinator Rhea Joy Flora demonstrates the use of the vibrating screen to prepare the finished compost for packaging.

In the municipality of Buenavista, the notion has been concretized in 2005. The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Buenavista has initiated steps to comply with the requirements of R.A. 9003 with composting as an integral component. At a workshop initiated by the GTZ-AHT Solid Waste Management for LGUs in Regions 6, 7, and 8, the key officials of the municipality formulated the Municipal Solid Waste Management Plan of Operations 2005-2006 which specifies the building of composting facilities such as a demonstration site for composting. Eventually, the Dunang Manggad Center  has been established by the LGU at a site which was previously used as a dumping area for wastes generated in the vicinity of the municipal hall. Now, the Dunang Manggad Center is the heart of the composting enterprise of the municipality.