Wednesday, February 6, 2008

GERSONA COFFEE PULPER

“Getting coffee from the fruit to the cup is a complex and exacting procedure, a process both a science and an art. Proper roasting is absolutely critical, but for the roast to be perfect, the coffee beans must be flawless.”

Finally, GERSONA Coffee Pulper will be MRDC’s contribution to the development of a coffee industry in the Cordillera Region.

GERSONA Coffee Pulper is designed to remove the soft pulp of ripe, red coffee cherries without any damage to the bean. It rejects immature or green cherries thereby ensuring the farmer with good quality parchment coffee for further processing and then roasting.

GERSONA Coffee Pulper is very easy to operate even to young children and old folk. Just put the cherries into the elevated hopper and start operation by turning the handle counter clockwise. The cherries will then drop through a narrow slot within which they come into contact with the rotating disc. The disc has a punched sheet surface and adjustable metal leaf between which the cherries are pulped, the pulp and the beans separated. The coffee beans come out through a side pipe down to the slide while the pulp is popped out through another channel.



WARNING!
The pulp is a possible environmental pollutant if it is allowed to get into water systems. Discover new ways to process the pulp into other by-products, i.e. vinegar. Coffee pulp is about 10% protein and has been used in animal feed. It is also used as a mulch or compost in the garden. It may even be sun-dried on a terrace and used as fuel. GERSONA Coffee Pulper is a simple hand-operated device which is very compact in size. It weighs 10.5 kgs. for easier transport even to the farthest coffee plantations up the mountains. Pulping efficiency is greater at 20-30 kgs. of parchment coffee per hour.



BIOGREEN-GROW



Microbial Organic Fertilizer

Guaranteed Analysis:

N : 1.5% P2O5 : 3.5% K2O : 2.0%
M.C. : 23%
O.M. : 30% pH : 6.8

Plus
9 micronutrients
11 enzymes and
18 strains of Benefecial Microorganisms

Product Description:

Bio-Green Grow Organic Fertilizer is an improved, pure and high-grade bio-organic fertilizer scientifically blended for all types of crops using state-of-the-art biotechnology in composting & enhancing organic materials (from plant & animal origin) with a “synergetic consortium” of effective beneficial microorganisms and enzymes to come up with an effective fertilization system.

General Functions:

1. Plant Nutrition – Bio-Green Grow provides higher primary nutrients (7% total NPK) and micronutrients (Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, S, Zn) than other organic fertilizers. It also contains organic compounds such as enzymes, vitamins & growth factors that are vital in plant metabolism and nutrition.

2. Humus Formation – Being a pure organic fertilizer with at least 30% Organic Matter content, Bio-Green Grow is effective in soil-building and humus formation, in improving soil structure to increase its water-holding capacity & provide better aeration, and in rehabilitating “damaged” or “dead” soils. Its neutral pH of 6.8 does not cause soil acidity for better nutrient absoption.

3. Mineralization – Bio-Green Grow’s biochemical action improves the cation-exchange capacity of the soil thereby enhancing nitrification, phosphates solubilization, and conversion of other minerals for easier plant uptake.

4. Nitrogen-Fixation – Bio-Green Grow is enriched with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms that can convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia and then to usable nitrate form that can be utilized by the plants.

5. Plant Protection – The beneficial microorganisms in Bio-Green Grow have antagonistic effects against soil-borne pathogenic/disease-causing bacteria, fungi, & nematodes.

Renewable Energy

Development and Harnessing of Hydro-Energy Sources

Most of the areas where MRDC is working is endowed with hydro-energy sources with potentials to be developed and tapped. This component aims to harness these energy sources to derive power that will run the devices needed for agro-processing, village mechanization and appropriate industrialization of the rural areas. It covers the establishment and construction of water turbines and water wheels. Wherever possible other energy sources should be considered.
Micro - Hydro Project
The micro-hydro is powered by cross flow turbine that will generate mechanical and electrical energy to power equipments. It will make use of an existing irrigation canal for the water supply .An intake dam and fore bay had to be constructed and a 6-inch diameter penstock will be used to direct the water to the turbine. This is to energize processing equipment such as the rice mill, sugar cane presser, flourmill and the power tools for the blacksmithing activity in the daytime and to provide domestic lightning during the night. The maximum output of the electrical power is 7 kilowatts.

A committee for the overall management of the project was formed and each component has their own committee for the day-to day operations. The committees are composed of three individuals. These are appointed during the general assembly held once in two years. Each committee has the collective responsibility for the smooth functioning and maintenance of the equipment and to ensure the implementation of plans, policies and guidelines agreed upon. Individual tasks are also clarified. These are the (a) operator, (b) treasurer/collector of the payment and (c) chairperson. Committees meet every quarter for the assessment and planning.

Pes-ay

MRDC Occasional Paper 2006

Pes-ay is one of the many agricultural rituals that are still performed today by the Igorot peoples of the Northern Luzon Cordillera in the Philippines. Pes-ay asks the spirits of the natural world to grant abundant harvests to farmers.

Belief in nature spirits is interlinked with traditional knowledge and practices in agriculture that have persisted despite the rapid integration of the Igorot in modern society. The Igorot are among the world’s indigenous peoples who have been able to conserve their natural environment and its biodiversity through the development of production systems that are intricately linked with both natural processes and social relationships.

Our Programs

Our Programs


1. Research & Documentation:
To increase the level of analytical and critical consciousness of communities.





2.Organizational Development:
To empower peoples’ organizations to implement socio-economic works.

3. Projects Development:
To increase the level of food sufficiency through the development and promotion of appropriate technologies on sustainable agriculture and village mechanization.

4. Networking & Advocacy:
To support the peoples’ movement in advancing indigenous peoples rights.

Mission and Vision Of MRDC

Our Vision
Empowered and self-reliant populace within a truly sovereign and democratic Philippine society, characterized by social justice and balance ecosystems.

Our Mission
To achieve food security and people’s empowerment in Cordillera com-munities through the collective promotion and development of sustainable agriculture.

Our Goals
1. Increased food security and social welfare (increased food, income for health and education) within an improved environment through the adoption of SA technologies
2. Broad and active people’s participation in decision-making and collective action;

3. Enhanced village and inter-village/cluster
cooperation.

Brief History of MRDC

The Montañosa Research and Development Center, Inc. (MRDC), was established in 1978 and the main challenge during this period was the search for mechanisms that will promote peoples’ involvement in the development process. This was premised on the view that the Igorots of the Cordillera possess the scientific knowledge of the biophysical conditions of the land and an understanding of the balance of interactions between land and people. As such, they are crucial in giving substance to a development strategy of resource utilization that will generate long term benefits for the greater majority.

Since then, MRDC has consistently pursued meaningful development concepts on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. And among its breakthrough projects are:
Documentation of indigenous knowledge systems in agriculture, analyzing its socio-cultural values, their scientific basis, their role in natural resource management and translating these into training modules;

Agroforestry and forestry projects which lessened the pressure on the remaining rainforests/watershed and reclaimed grassland areas;

The 1st Micro-Hydro Powered project in the Region and now the longest operational multi- purpose, community-managed MHP project in the country.