Waste Management Practices of Dairy Buffalo Farmers in Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Abstract

Effective waste management in dairy buffalo farming is vital to ensure the health and productivity of a farm and its farmers, as well as to minimize negative environmental impacts. This study examined the waste management practices of dairy buffalo farmers in Nueva Ecija, Philippines in relation to their socio-economic status and farm profile. Fifty-nine dairy buffalo farmers were interviewed face-to-face using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires to gather data on their socio-demographic and economic profiles, farm profiles, and waste management system. Principal Component Analysis and binary regression were used to determine correlation between socio-economic status and farm profile with their manure management systems. Eighty percent of the respondents practiced stockpiling while 12% practiced vermi-composting. The liquid waste is disposed of via open channels going to rice fields, rivers, creeks, irrigation canals, forage areas, or vacant lots. The non-biodegradable farm waste is either buried, burned, thrown in a vacant area, reused, sold or given to garbage collectors. The regression model revealed that the significant determinant of manure management system was animal holding (p<0.05) which indicates that as the animal holding of the dairy farmers increased by 1 unit, there was a .23 increase in the probability that the dairy farmers will practice stockpiling. The agencies concerned need to intensify efforts to disseminate suitable, cost-effective, efficient and sustainable interventions related to waste management for dairy buffalo farms.