Mathematics used in farming in the Chamorro culture

For Assignment #3, we were tasked to further specify the mathematics concepts used in our topics. Coming from a family of farmers, I've decided to expand on the mathematics used in farming in the Chamorro culture. If you don't know by now, my father is a farmer, and his father was a farmer, and his father's father was a farmer, and so on. My father shared with me that when you farm, you must consider the distance feet between hills (i.e. plants planted two per hill), the number of plants per hill, the distance feet between rows, the number of plants/100 ft. row, the number of plants per acre, 100 ft. row yield (lb.), and eventually, you'll have to figure out the estimated cost per 100 ft. row, per acre yields (lbs.), estimated cost per acre, and the breakeven price. The University of Guam Cooperative Extension Service has also researched and provided outreach to farmers on the elements I've mentioned.

For instance, the following is a breakdown provided by the UOG Cooperative Extension Service for eating and cooking bananas.

Recommended distance ft. between hills - 10
Recommended no. plants per hill - 1
Recommended distance ft. between rows - 12
No. plants/100 ft. row - 10
No. plt./acre - 363
100 ft. row yield (lb.) - 500
Estimated cost per 100 ft. row - $229.75
Per acre yield (lbs) - 17,500
Estimated cost per acre - $8,340
Breakeven price - 48 cents

Just the figures above involve a lot of mathematics, and the more bananas you plant, the more calculating you'll have to engage in! My father stated that although he loves planting bananas, which take about 14 months to grow, once you cut them down after they bear, they do not bear again, compared to other plants. On the other hand, he said that cucumbers tend to bear more, because once they're ready for picking, you would harvest them every other day. Thus, it takes cucumbers 45 days to grow with the harvesting to occur every other day for 2 weeks.

My father mentioned that if you want to plant long-term fruit trees that always bear fruit, you would have to plant any of the following: mango, coconut, star apple, and sour sap. He said that these plants would ensure that you always have something to harvest once they start bearing. However, he also mentioned that these trees take about 7 years or more to bear. Despite this, the beauty is that once they start bearing, they bear non-stop.

My father always encourages fellow farmers to use organic dead leaves and other compost mater to fertilize the plants, so that the plants can "produce better, grow better, and grow healthier."

When asked about his final thoughts on Mathematics in agriculture, he said that "It (mathematics) is important in agriculture, because it tells you what crops can bring you better economic benefits and can sustain your family for the long run." He also mentioned about the hard work, care, and appreciation that goes into the love of farming.

I am grateful that I was able to interview my father. He provided much insight, and I look forward to conducting more research on this, and how it can impact student learning in mathematics for all grade levels.

Sources:
Naputi, Joaquin. Personal INTERVIEW. 5 February 2010.
UOG Cooperative Extension Service