Gov. Benigno R. Fitial also stated many times how serious his administration was in promoting the development of agriculture as a new industry.
The farmers, for their part, are looking forward to doing business with the U.S. military in light of its buildup on Guam.
However, whether the CNMI can consistently meet the demand remains a challenge.
The members of the Saipan Sabalu Farmers Market Association Inc. continues to harvest and sell their produce locally. They are seen on Saturdays in Susupe, on Tuesdays at the Garapan Fishing Base and on Thursdays at the street market in Garapan.
Exporting fresh vegetable and fruits is something the farmers’ organization has to figure out first.
According to Saipan and Northern Islands Soil and Water Conservation District Chairman Isidoro T .Cabrera, 70 percent of the farms on Saipan lie on slopes, something that he does not recommend when one wants to plant vegetables.
But vetiver grass, which was introduced to the island five years ago, can control erosion.
Cabrera’s own farm encompassing a 1.5-hectare land in Talafofo has highly erodible soil and that is why it has been sitting idle for years.
To make the best use of the sloping farms, many Saipan farmers have started using vetiver grass for contour farming, which, according to Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Education and Extension Service, can bring higher quality groundwater when used with vetiver hedgerows.
This minimizes erosion and nutrient runoff while reducing the need for fertilizers.
The use of contour farming may allow local farmers to meet an increased demand for fresh vegetable and fruits.
Mulching
Saipan municipal council chairman Ray Blas Camacho’s commercial farm plot in Kagman does not lie on a slope but he is using vetiver grass for mulching, a farming method that utilizes cover around the crops.
It prevents rapid evaporation of water from the soil.
Camacho said he got his vetiver grass from NMC-CREES four years ago, and he planted around his plot.
Last Saturday, Camacho showed Variety his vetiver grass that has grown to up to three to four feet high from the ground. The roots can go 12 feet deep in the ground.
Camacho said vetiver grass used for mulching helps builds nutrients and produce moist that waters the seedlings of his crops.
Hedge
Aside from mulching, vetiver grass also serve as hedge that protects his crops from animals, Camacho said.
The hedge of vetiver grass surrounding his plots is so dense that “even rats cannot slip through,” he added.
Any time this week, Camacho will start covering his newly planted crops with vetiver grass for mulching.
(To be continued)
