Agriculture Business Week

Dr. Davide couldn’t forget what a high-ranking agriculture official told him when he presented his FTSP proposal for possible support. He was told that his project was good but he should not undertake it in Cebu because Cebu has barren soil and that it is not suited for agriculture. The government official suggested that he carry it out in Bohol instead.

That suggestion only served as a big challenge to Dr. Davide. That’s precisely why he wanted to help the farmers in his province so they could improve the productivity of the poor soil through scientific methods. He has thought to himself that “there’s no such thing as barren soils, only barren minds.”

The training of participants consists of three phases. Those who can participate are men and women from 18 to 60 years old who at least know how to read and write. They should own a piece of land and should have been farming in the previous three years.

(more…)

Farmers from the Visavas are fortunate because they have a UP Los Banos professor by the name of Dr Romulo G. Davide who grew tip in Colawin, a barrio that used to be a very depressed barangay in Argao, Cebu. In 1994, Dr Davide received a prize of  P500,000 for having been that year’s Outstanding Agricultural Scientist under the Gawad Saka project o f the Department of Agriculture.

With the amount, he decided to launch a project that is aimed at turning ordinary farmers into scientists so they can improve their farming techniques. He launched the. Farmer-Scientists Training Program (FSTP) with helping the poor corn farmers from his province uppermost in his mind.

He had observed that in his own hometown, the farmers were very poor because they were using very crude farming methods. They were mostly planting the old Tinigib variety of white corn which yielded just about 500 kilos per hectare. Besides the low yielding variety that they planted, the poor soil that barely had topsoil contributed to the low yield. Thus, they could not even produce enough white corn for their own consumption.

Because of the low income of farm families, Dr. Davide said, there was rampant insurgency and a serious drug problem. Ownership of paltik, the illegally manufactured gun for which Cebu is famous, was the status symbol among the menfolk.

Today, however, Argao has become s progressive town, thanks to a large measure to the FSTP started by Dr. Davide some 15 years ago. Cellphones have replaced the paltik as the prized possession of the menfolk. Motorcycles have also become a common sight as a means of transportation even in the most remote barangays of the town. Up to now, training of more farmers to become scientists continues in Argao, and in fact, it has covered the entire province of Cebu and beyond. The FSTP has also been adopted in Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Mindoro and Compostela Valley in Mindanao.

(more…)

Whatever we dream about, will remain a dream if we are unable to convert this to a plan of action.

To own a piece of farm land is a dream for many, especially those living in urban centers. City business executives who toil in the asphalt jungle can but make a sigh and wish for a greener scenery.

Savoring the serene and peaceful rural environment is an alternative to the daily grind of earning a living in the metropolis. Raising a few farm animals, a vegetable garden plot, a small fishpond, a few fruiting trees, are parts of the vision.

It is an option or an escape avenue to those who can afford such an alternative. But to many, working on a piece of land is not an option but a must to earn a living and support the needs of a (growing) family.

(more…)

A total 219 farmers from 16 municipalities have finished the three-month Kabalikat sa Kabuhayanan Farmer’s Training (KSK-FT) program at the 4-hectare demonstration farm in Brgy. Sahod Ulan, Tanza Cavite last June 4, thus bringing the total number of graduates to 1,033 from 80 cities and municipalities since the program initially took off in Bacalod City.

The farmers consist the 8th batch of trainees to avail of the training, which was spearheaded by SM Foundation, Incorporated (SMFI) in partnership with Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, the Department of Agriculture regional field unit, and local government unit.

The result of the initial KSK-FT program in Bacolod City was so encouraging that SMFI replicated it in Sta. Rita in Pampanga, Marilog in Davao City, Pagbilao in Quezon, Sta. Rosa in Laguna, Rosales in Pangasinan in 2008.

(more…)

Smallhold banana growers in Isabela gave more reasons to continue planting banana the natural way now that they have proven that improved farming technology can do wonders for them.

And why not? Their naturally produced bananas have found a sure market. One is Japan, which requires 3,500 boxes of Bongulan banana weekly. A box contains 13 kilograms (kg), so that’s a total of 45,500 kg a week. The bigger market is Korea that buys from them 685,000 kg a week or roughly 52,692 boxes weighing 13 kg per box.

This was learned from Dr. Biley Temanel of Isabela State University (ISU) during the recent General Membership Assembly of the National Research Council of the Philippines. He said that the opening of the export market for Isabela banana growers is the result of the marketing agreement forged with the Center for Organic Farming and Integrated Rural Development or CORDEV which now serves as their marketing outlet.

(more…)

The impact of climate change on rains, non-availability of ground water, and the cost of cultivation and non-availability of labour is forcing sugarcane farmers, who have been cultivating sugarcane for past 20 to 30 years, to either move out to other crops or sell their land.

The total land area under sugarcane cultivation in the state of Andhra Pradesh has come down from 2.5 lakh hectare to 1.5 lakh hectare. This is quite an alarming drop in the area of cultivation. Besides the productivity in the available land is either stagnant or low making it a completely non-profitable venture for a sugarcane farmer. This will impact the sugar industry. A recent FAO report predicts a sharp fall in
sugar production in India in the year 2009.

The situation in UP and other states is even more alarming. Tamil Nadu is the only state which is doing relatively little better in terms of productivity.

(more…)

Even as their farming techniques vary from each other; three farmers in Pangasinan say the same thing about the latest corn hybrid they planted- their yields from it was much higher than from the other varieties they used before.

Anselmo Dionio, 55, of Caaringayan, Laoac town said his recent yield from 3 hectares planted to Bioseed 9909 was as much as 10 tons of shelled corn per hectare. Last year, he harvested an average of 11 tons of shelled corn per hectare using the same variety. This year he also planted 1.8 hectares in Sta. Barbara in partnership with a large-scale poultry raiser, Engr. Manuel Soriano, and estimated that the yield would be also about 10 tons per hectare even as the corn ears were still being dried before shelling.

On the other hand, Edwin dc Asis, 47, of Dumayat, Binalonan planted Bioseed 9909 in 6,000 square meters. He harvested 5,026 kilograms or 8,376 kilos per hectare.

(more…)

A project on growing high-value vegetables under contoured sloping areas is being implemented in Brgy. Masunoy and Brgy. Candungaw in San Isidro, Bohol.

This is a joint project of the local government (LGU) of San Isidro, the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, East-West Seed Company and the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

According to Daisy Monreal, technology transfer technologist of East-West Seed Company, they will showcase the improved techniques of growing high-value vegetables in sloping fields that are contoured to prevent erosion of the soil.

(more…)

Rice farmers in the, Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija who went through a PalayCheck Field School training during the 2008 wet season are optimistic that higher yields are still to come if they attain all the key checks of the newly introduced integrated rice production system.

After one season of participating in the PalayCheck Field School, Renato Gascon, Noli Domingo, and Bayani Laurencio concluded that all the eight key checks must be attained to produce the highest possible yield. They based their conclusion on the performance of the crops that were used as common learning fields during their training.

According to PhilRice scientists, PalayCheck is a dynamic crop management system that presents the best key technology and management practices as key checks. It is an integrated crop management system, which recognizes that rice growing is a production system consisting of a range of interdependent factors that are interrelated in their impact on the growth, yield, grain quality, and sustainability of the environment.

(more…)

Whenever farmers find a farm input beneficial to them in more ways than one, anybody can be sure that farmers will cling to it, spread the good word about it, and continue using it.

Such is the case of the bio-organic fertilizer Durabloom, which has literally spread like wild fire in Mindanao and in the Visayas as more farmers are now using it for the production of corn, sugarcane, vegetables, banana and other fruit crops. Some farmers are even combining Durabloorn with inorganic fertilizer for rice production. Menzi Farm in Bukidnon is using Durabloorn to fertilize anthurium, durian, mangosteen, lanzones and rambutan.

One big proof of the popularity of Durabloom, which is produced by Novatech Agri-Food Industries, is the increasing order of farm supply store owners in Mindanao who provide farm inputs to corn farmers on credit. This is because farmers request for Durabloom. Farm inputs given to the farmers will be paid after the harvest.

(more…)

Just like farmers in other places, farmers in Iloilo also have farm problems. What makes them different from others is their openness to new ways of coping with their problems, willingness to innovate and eagerness to gain more income.

For instance, take three farmer leaders in Brgy. Pandan, Dingle, Iloilo – Virgilio “Butsoy” Guanga, Jr., Nenita “Nits” Dagohoy, and Lydia “Nanay Lydia” Gomito. Like other farmers in the barangay, they had difficulty controlling the weeds in their rice farms despite using herbicides.

Since they were direct seeding their rice crops, they believed that weeds could be controlled only by spraying herbicides. Until lately, however, they noticed that the weeds were getting more and more difficult to control despite increasing the dosage and frequency of application. Some of the weeds could not even be killed anymore. As a result, their production cost increased while their net income was commensurately decreasing.

(more…)

Their men are so busy with their jobs and farm activities that they don’t have time to attend seminars and trainings on farming. Yet these three women from the Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija have been able to participate in spite of their jobs and responsibilities.

They are Pacita de Guzman, 46; Rufina Paulino, 51; and Gina Reyes, 43. They have trained on PalayCheck system, a holistic and objective approach to rice production that integrates recommended management practices and learning processes. They voluntarily participated in the PalayCheck Field School (PFS) in the Science City of Munoz during the 2008 wet season.

Pacita is a midwife at the Rural Health Unit ll(RHU II) in Munoz. She participated in the PFS for her husband was busy with farm activities, while Rufina, a nurse at the RHU II, attended because her brother who had been taking care of their family’s farm was so busy managing the farm.

(more…)

Strawberry farmers in Benguet can look forward to a better production as disease free planting materials are now being mass-propagated by the Benguet State University(BSU) in La Trinidad, Benguet.

For one, tissue-cultured strawberry yields 30 percent to 50 percent higher than the non-tissue cultured strawberry. A survey made by the municipal agriculturist office in La Trinidad showed that tissue-cultured strawberry yields as much as 15 tons to 20 tons per hectare. BSU researchers, however, have found out that yield could reach 20 tons to 25 tons per hectare with proper cultural management.

Aside from being clean or disease-free, tissue cultured strawberry can be replanted up to fourth generation, depending of the prevalence of pests and diseases in the farming area. TIssue-culture strawberry also produces bigger fruits with uniform shape.

(more…)

Toto Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness has a bright idea. Why not declare 2009 as the Year of the Farmers?

With the economic meltdown in many parts of the world, Barcelona believes that it is timely for the President to declare the Year of the Ox as the Year of the Farmers. He asserts that the most stable industry now is food production and marketing as we have to feed the growing population.

By doing so, the important role that our farmers play in feeding the nation will be put into limelight for all Filipinos to recognize, according to Barcelona. Concrete plans and existing initiatives in food production will be enhanced. The aim is to have Filipinos producing for Filipinos, Filipinos feeding Filipinos, and eventually feeding our richer Asian neighbors.

(more…)