A Farmer-guided soil classification system for the Philippines: A case study for Barangays Triala and Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija, Central Luzon

Abstract

Although this case study is over 10 years old, it is an important success story of collaboration between the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), the Center for Research and Information Exchange in Ecologically Sound Agriculture (ILEIA), the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC), and local farmers in Central Luzon. Together, they began developing land use and soil classifications from local knowledge, which were then integrated with the scientific soil surveys completed by researchers within the BSWM. Topics of importance as distinguished in the collaboration with farmers included topography, texture, agricultural potential, and water issues such as drainage and flooding, which are particularly relevant since the area experiences a wet and a dry season, when irrigation becomes difficult and alternatives to paddy rice must be grown.