Biodiversity model farm in Carmen, The Philippines
Biodiversity is a key indicator for soil health in regenerative agriculture. But how can biodiversity on farm level be optimised and monitored? In this spin-off project of the Going Bananas project, the consortium is zooming in on biodiversity. We aim to understand how native species can contribute to ecosystem services on the farm.
Farmers are noticing the effects of decades of pesticide and herbicide use; declined yields as a result of soil erosion. Where insects and plants were first a concern for yield decline, we now aim to train farmers to now see insects and plants as a sign of a healthy farm and therefore yield increase in the long-term.
We uniquely developed a farm design with native species to support soil health and biodiversity. Different monitoring methodologies will be tested. A training facility will be constructed to train 1,000 farmers about the benefits of biodiversity on their farm. The results will be presented in an exposition in the local museum, where art and data will be combined to call attention to biodiversity.
