THERE is now a Children’s Aqua Farm School inside the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-National Integrated Fisheries Technology and Development Center (BFAR-NIFTDC) sprawling compound in Barangay Bonuan Binloc in Dagupan City.

Children learn about organic farming. (Contributed)

Mary Joy Agustin, a BFAR aquaculturist said it was established to teach children about organic farming, raising fish and growing vegetables in one small area as an integrated farming system.

She said it was named a school so children and even adults, can learn and venture into organic farming.

The area used to be a dumpsite and Westly Rosario, their BFAR-NIFTDC head in this city, thought of converting it into integrated farming after it was used for “Isda’t Gabi”, a fish and crop project.

The Children’s Aqua Farm School is a continuation of Isda’t Gabi concept, Agustin said.

She said vegetables like patola, upo, talong, okra or pinakbet vegetables, including strawberry and even aquaponics can be found in the Children’s Aqua Farm School, essentially all the the vegetables mentioned in the song “Bahay Kubo.”

Ducks, native chicken and native pigs and a fish condo that raises tilapia, hito and freshwater prawn can be found in the farm school.

“Each system leads to another so nothing is wasted,” she said. “Even the wild grasses that grow there, we feed them to the native pigs,” Agustin added..

Meanwhile, Rosario said the fertilizer used for their plants are chicken and pig manure while water used for the plants comes from the small fishpond and fish condo.

The school will teach the students how to make simple feeds for the native pigs and poultry using Azolla, other plants and ground oyster shells.

He said children will be taught to water the vegetables and feed the animals and they will be given in return a kilo of eggplants or mixed vegetables and parents can be bought by their parents at a reasonable cost, he said. (Philstar Wire Service)

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