Guiding Our Farmers! Mangosteen, Jackfruit Ideal For Highlands Tree Farming

One of the most ambitious programs and perhaps out-of-the-box innovations I introduced as Secretary of Agriculture was an interactive website which guided farmers on what to plant in their farms..

The idea was a product of the long discussions I had with then Davao City Mayor Rody Duterte as we talked about the problems of Philippine Agriculture, long before he agreed to run for President.

The National Color Coded Agriculture Guide Map which could be accessed through www.farmersguidemap.gov.ph was launched by President Rody Duterte in the Heroes Hall of Malacañang on March 7, 2017.

Undertaken by the Bureau of Soil and Water Management and the Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) program, the guide map was completed after a gruelling 8-month field and soil study.

All data were inputted by a Subanen computer programmer.

Although it now needs more updating to provide more accurate data, the website is a big help for farmers as it would free them from the long and expensive process of farm experimentation.

There are other practical ways of determining what crops would grow well in a specific area.

This is simply done by observing the vegetation and I am keen about this during travels.

In Samar, Gmelina trees grow robustly with huge trunks but nobody seems to have realized the huge income from planting this species in the logged over areas of the island.

In the highlands of Bukidnon, for example, Jackfruits grow well as shown by the lush and shiny green leaves, as well as prolific fruiting.

Mangosteen, an endemic Philippine fruit tree, also grows well in the highlands as proven by the many successful farms in the high elevation areas of Mindanao.

These two fruit tree varieties, along with Hass Avocado whose productivity in the highlands has been established through actual field trials, are the most ideal tree species promoted by the Green Mindanao Project of the Mindanao Development Authority (,MinDA).

Planting these in the highlands would not only ensure an effective National Greening Program, but also contribute to Mindanao’s economic growth and reduce poverty among rural families.

Here are additional practical tips:

1. Tattered banana leaves indicate strong wind in the area, hence it is not advisable to plant shallow rooted trèes;

2. The absence of tall trees in an area could indicate that the top soil is thin and underneath it is hardpan;

3. To determine which of your Lanzones tree bears the sweetest fruit, ask your neighbor or your orchard caretaker. (Joke