10_Bulb Brilliance: Harvesting the Future of Sustainable Agriculture

Summary

Onion crisis is prevalent in the Philippines. Its effects could be felt with the pricing,

demand, and lack of supply. We are to promote a solution that is cheap while

maintaining its nature-friendly value.

Background and Problem

Soaring prices of onion have been observed since the rise of inflation rate here in

the Philippines. Due to this, it is often difficult for the farmers and consumersS to

stabilize the growth of onions which is also caused by climate change. Our target is

to cheapen the price of onions while protecting the most common ingredient in the

Southeast Asia. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (2023), from 8.58

thousand metric tons produced in the same quarter of 2021, onion production

increased by 23.3 percent in the Philippines. Though nowadays, the average 1 kg.

price of onion is 200 pesos (Philstar, 2023). Onion crisis is also caused by

smuggling and illegal import. In the Philippines, authorities reportedly seized

onions worth between 500 million and 600 million pesos ($9 million to $11 million)

last year, according to local media. 30% of the farm items that were being smuggled

were vegetables.

During raids on warehouses, bags concealed amid garment shipments were

discovered. Authorities discovered yellow onions worth 17 million pesos last month

hidden inside containers marked as containing shirts, slippers, and different home

goods. A few days prior to it, 50,000kg of onions valued at 20 million pesos were

discovered concealed among pastries and bread products (The Guardian, 2023)
We must seek to address this economical and agricultural disturbance in a

feasible and environmentally-friendly manner.

Beneficiaries:

The Farmers, and Consumers will bot benefit in this research.

The proposed solution to the presented problem:

The "FarmBoo Project" is a comprehensive and unique approach meant to

maximize land utilization in typhoon-prone locations while also increasing onion

cultivation. This project aims to provide affordable, and reliable planting solutions

through the use of ‘DIY’ bamboo tube pots, empowering individuals especially

farmers, and helping the economy.

 Needs Assessment and Community Engagement:

The project begins with a thorough needs assessment conducted in collaboration

with the target community. This assessment involves engaging with farmers and

local authorities, understanding, and considering their socioeconomic conditions.

This participatory approach ensures that the solution aligns with the community's

requirements and fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment.

 Organic Bamboo Tube pots:

The core component of the " FarmBoo Project " is the installation of organic bamboo

tube pots in farms and even household gardens. Bamboo tube pots are installed to

grow onions in an efficient way. Bamboo tube pots are renewable, providing a

cultivation of onions while minimizing the use of land.

Bamboo’s Strength:

If we built with a bamboo pole that has not been processed or has been

chemically treated, the pole may be attacked by insects, fungi, and rot and

may only last for a short period of time. The bamboo pole can last for more

than 20 to 30 years if we use chemicals (borax and boric) to prevent insects

and decay, cover it in a protective finish, and create a structure that shields

the pole from the sun and rain (Better Bamboo Buildings, 2022)

A bamboo can withstand twice as much force bearing down on it as wood,

brick or concrete can. Compared with steel, it can endure higher stress while

being stretched, tugged or bent before breaking. Engineers call this capacity

as the tensile strength. The field of psychology has a counterpart, which is

known as resilience (People Builders, 2023).

Bamboo is Renewable:

Bamboo is a highly adaptable and renewable crop. It is actually a form of

grass, despite the fact that it is tough like wood, and some species may grow

more than a meter each day. The crop doesn't need pesticides or fertilizers to

grow, and it only needs a small amount of water. (Laura Sanders, 2020).

Whether you're looking for bamboo ecotourism or the bamboo industry, the

Philippines is brimming with this woody grass. More than 60 species of

bamboo are known to grow in this country, and about 20 of them grow

nowhere else. These are some of the largest and most impressive bamboo

varieties, which the islanders have used for hundreds or thousands of years.

Some of the best places to find indigenous bamboo are at the Carolina
 Botanical Gardens and in the wilderness of Mount Pulag (Fred Hornaday,

2021).

 Financing and Affordability:

Recognizing the financial constraints of rural communities, the "FarmBoo

Project" adopts a sustainable financing model. This involves partnering with

local financial institutions, NGOs, and government agencies such as the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources to provide affordable

microfinance options or grant programs. These financial mechanisms enable

the project to access organic bamboo tube pots at affordable rates or with

flexible payment plans, making the solution economically viable for them.

 Illustration:

(1) Cut wide hollowed bamboos. (2) Drill 1 big hole in each section of the bamboo

tube enough to fit the onions, and small holes in each section of the bamboo for
 water drainage. (3) Place the well dried soil and plant the onion in a traditional

way.

References:

 Resilience: Lessons from the Bamboo. (n.d.). Resilience: Lessons From the

Bamboo. https://www.peoplebuilders.com.au/blog/resilience-lessons-

bamboo

 Hornaday, F. (2021, March 23). Bamboo in the Philippines: Indigenous

Abundance - Bambu Batu. Bambu Batu. https://bambubatu.com/bamboo-

in-the-philippines/

 Bamboo: Eco-friendly fabric or environmental disaster? (2020, November

30). Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/green/2020/11/30/bamboo-

eco-friendly-fabric-or-environmental-disaster

 How long can bamboo last? — Better Bamboo Buildings. (2020,

August 16). Better Bamboo Buildings.

https://www.betterbamboobuildings.com/home/how-long-does-bamboo-

last

 Philippine Statistics Authority | Republic of the Philippines. (n.d.).

https://psa.gov.ph/vegetable-root-crops-main/onion

 Cariaso, B. (2023, May 10). Onion prices going up again. Philstar.com.

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/2023/05/11/2265422/

onion-prices-going-again

 DOST, (n.d.), https://ispweb.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/bamboo/

 Ratcliffe, R. (2023, January 26). Onion smuggling rackets thrive as staple

becomes a luxury in Philippines. The Guardian.

rackets-thrive-as-staple-becomes-a-luxury-in-philippines

 Miguel, J. A. (2023, May 23). DA boosts Davao’s bamboo industry. The

Manila Times. https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/05/24/regions/da-

boosts-davaos-bamboo-industry/1892815

 Iroegbu, A. O. C., & Ray, S. S. (2021). Bamboos: From Bioresource to

Sustainable Materials and Chemicals. Sustainability, 13(21), 12200.

https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112200