Indigenous Knowledge and Nutrient Management Practices of Farmers Growing Sweetpotato in the Uplands of Pinabacdao, Samar

This study aimed at determining if the sweetpotato growers in the locality of Parasanon, Pinabacdao, Samar possess certain local knowledge about their soil and crops, particularly sweetpotato. Informal and formal interviews were the primary methods used in gathering information for the study. The demographic traits of the farmers clearly differed but they adhered to the same knowledge system regarding the attributes of the soil in their native dialect, the farmers have a soil classification scheme based on textual characteristics and certain indicators of soil fertility and plant health. Moreover, the farmers are also aware of certain problems connected to their soils or crops but these do not bother them because they have the experience in circumventing field-related problems. Generally, the upland farmers of Pinabacdao do not use degraded soils for sweetpotato production. They ordinarily leave the area temporarily and relocate to more fertile grounds in the forest edges if they find their soils to be no longer productive. None among the local farmers use any of the improved sweetpotato production technologies which were shoen or given to them by technicians connected either to R & D project conducted previously in the locality or the Department of Agriculture.