The long road to sustainability

"ON Dec. 16, 2011, floodwaters triggered by Tropical Storm "Sendong" (international name: "Washu") rolled down from the slopes of Miarayon to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, killing over a thousand people and destroying almost P2 billion in infrastructure, agriculture and school buildings." This is how veteran journalist Froilan Gallardo concludes his article, "Bukidnon's vegetable-farming capital is in trouble" (MindaNews, Nov. 24, 2021). Miarayon, located at the foot of Mount Kalatungan, is a barangay (village) in Talakag, Bukidnon. Xavier University, according to the same article, in a 2015 study found that at least 1,648 hectares of the barangay needed to be reforested. However, it would appear that from the time of the flash floods 10 years ago to the Xavier University's 2015 study and until today, the environment has further degraded.

Deforestation, overuse of the land for agriculture and the use of chemicals have negatively affected the fertility of the soil. Where once the soil's natural fertility sufficed to make plants grow, chemical fertilizers are now required.