TMPEGS-Philippines-AVRDC Team with Lantapan participants
Participants sharing their knowledge on Ivs
Participatory evaluation of indigenous vegetables
Field Day site - Kimanga, Kibanggay, Lantapan
An Iv Field Day was conceptualized to introduce indigenous
vegetable (Iv) germplasm to the vegetable-agroforestry
system in Lantapan watershed and identify suitable
vegetables under the tree system. Such activity also serves
as an avenue to teach the villagers the philosophy of
conservation and utilization of plants. Introduction of
indigenous vegetables will enhance plant biodiversity in the
area that consequently may lead to the diversification of
the farmers’ production system and raise the income of the
households. By promoting the utilization of the different
kinds of indigenous vegetables, nutrition of the family may
improve as a result of the diversity in food intake.
The field day was held on September 22, 2007 in Barangay
Kibanggay, Lantapan, Bukidnon. The indigenous vegetables
introduced consisted of 20 accessions from the Genetic
Resources and Seed Unit, AVRDC and 5 species of tree
vegetables native to the Philippines. Five popularly grown
exotic vegetables in the area were also included. Over 60
participants attended the activity, 35% percent of the
villagers who attended were female members of the
household. At least 28% of the village participants farm
and sell their own produce (farmer-vendor). Participatory
evaluation of the vegetables for adaptability and general
acceptability was carried out by the participants. Over 60%
of the participants identified the following Ivs with potential
for adoption in their locality, namely, the introduced Ivs
from AVRDC the spineless (smooth stem) white TOT5474
and purple TOT7278 Amaranthus spp (kolitis), H. sabdariffa
(roselle) and local tree vegetables M. oleifera (malunggay),
G. gnemon (bago), S. grandiflora (katuray), A.manihot
(alikway). Among the exotic vegetables, the varieties of bell
pepper, carrot and the improved tomato line AVRDC WWCT-
1 were preferred. It is interesting to note that villagers
preferred indigenous vegetables which were relatively new
to them. Roselle and spineless amaranths were least
known to the participants, only less than 30% were familiar
with them while less than 50% knew A. manihot, S.
androgynus, and G. gnemon. It was found that false
coriander (E. foetidum) was practically unknown in the area
while ivy gourd (C. grandis) and wax gourd (B. hispida) were
known to only 15% and 42% of the participants,
respectively.
Folks in Lantapan, preferred to eat Ivs in cooked form than
in fresh or raw form. The participants were interested to
grow the Ivs for its nutritional value, however, certain
constraints restrict them from growing Ivs such as
unfamiliarity with the crop, unavailability of seeds and
potential market, lack of knowledge on cultivation and
utilization. In selecting for desirable Ivs, over 60% of the
participants consider over-all appearance, leaf/fruit color,
taste, nutritional value, shelf-life, availability of seeds,
marketability, non-seasonality of Ivs, tolerance/resistance
to pests, insects and diseases as their bases for choosing
the crop. They considered, however, nutritional value, shelf-
life, marketability of the fresh vegetables, taste, and
availability of seeds as the 5 most important factors to
consider in selecting Ivs. The activity gives an opportunity
for the team to document also the indigenous knowledge
on the medicinal value associated with indigenous
vegetables.
The project is a collaboration between AVRDC-The World
Vegetable Center and TMPEGS-ICRAF-Philippines under the
sponsorship of USAID-SANREM CRSP.
News report by
LMEngle, FCFaustino
Photos by FCFaustino
Introducing Indigenous Vegetables (Ivs) in the Agroforestry System -
An Iv Field Day at Lantapan Watershed, Philippines
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