This issue of the PhilRice Magazine showcases our humble contributions to push forward the rice research for development and expansion. It also recognized the rice R4D achievements and implementation strategies of the various sectors in the rice industry.
NEWS
Public Service Commission Chairman Nograles is the guest speaker (left photo) of the Dangal ng PhilRice Awards Ceremony. Tabulo, founder of the RiceMan Agricultural Consultancy and The Radiant Light Coaching and Training Company, inspires the PhilRice staff members during the Thanksgiving and Moral Enrichment Program.
FEATURE
MIRACLE SEED
WANTED: SEED PRODUCTION AREA
The making of a
AURA SHAZNAY P. TUMULAK
Without hesitation, Rivera decided to participate in the Hybrid Rice Seed Production Trial (HRSP) with the hope of ensuring the accessibility and availability of M20 in their locality and helping to increase the yield and income of farmers in Buenavista. From the trial results, Ramos reported that the potential yield of SxP seed production was an impressive 2.16 t/ha fresh weight and 2.06 t/ha at 14% moisture content. On the October 2021 Polish Day, the municipal government highlighted the potential of HRSP to its rice farmers in their locality.
We are proud and happy that the M20 F1 seeds produced during the seed production trial and ultimately planted in our own fields have also performed well.” Thank you, DA-PhilRice, for sharing your technical expertise in seed production and F1 cultivation of M20.”.
TOWARD BECOMING SEED GROWERS
MINARD F. PAGADUAN
Overall dimensions
The machines aimed to contribute to the production of better quality rice by improving harvesting and post-harvest facilities. This is to help achieve one of the seven outcomes of the Institute's StratPlan: "improved rice trade through efficient post-production, better product quality and reliable supply and distribution system". However, the Institute alone could not manufacture and manufacture many units of machines at a given time.
Land prep and postharvest
HANAH HAZEL MAVI B. MANALO
TRANSFERRING TECHNOLOGY
SUPPORTING LOCAL MANUFACTURERS
Henry Ramos and his fellow farmers in Lupao, Nueva Ecija are not worried about the uncertainties in wage prices as their rice-based vegetables sustain their livelihoods. This is our solution to low wage prices – a skill we learned from Project 'Sa Palay in Gulay May Ani, Hanapbuhay, Oportunidade en Nutrisyon (PAG-AHON),” said Ramos, president of the evolved Lupao Pagahon Agricultural Cooperative. from the Lupao Vegetable Growers Association. According to this result, the value, availability and utilization of rice, diversified rice-based agricultural products and by-products are increased for better quality, safety, health and income.
Implemented in May 2020-December 2021, PAG-AHON molded farmers into entrepreneurs through market matching, a major support of the project that helped farmers directly engage with consumers. Before the project, farmers in San Antonio Weste were not used to growing vegetables, leaving some fields barren. Licensed massage therapist Aila Grospe, who returned to their village as a coping mechanism during the pandemic, now farms the 1.3 hectares that were farmed for 15 years.
PAG-AHON
Standing on
CHARISMA LOVE B. GADO-GONZALES
We have increased our income by 20-30% by marketing our products, which equates to the profit from our rice harvest. She and her husband learned to use the right amount of fertilizer, proper timing of pesticide application and good agricultural practices through the project training, and applied them properly on her 2,000 m2 vegetable farm. Of course, we also supply to our community households – the reason why we started planting vegetables during the peak of the pandemic,” he said.
To chart this success, PAG-AHON farmers were trained in, among other things, seedlings, soil nutrients and water management, crop protection, food storage and preparation, market integration, food safety and sanitation. This is our solution to low palay prices – a skill we learned from the PAG-AHON project. Starting this year, the PAG-AHON model is being adopted and used in other RiceBIS projects in Isabela and Nueva Ecija, under the guidance of project leader Dr.
INFOGRAPHICS BY JAYSON C. BERTO
SUBJECT MATTER SPECIALIST: HAZEL A. BELTRAN
MOET app
Digital
CHRISTINA A. FREDILES
Villaflor, a local farmer technician and president of the Moises Padilla Irrigators Association in Negros Occidental, has been using the app since 2016. She states that the app is very convenient to use as it does not require internet connection, which is often challenging in her location. Currently, 42 rice-producing provinces across the country will be provided with soil texture-based fertilizer recommendations from the MOET app through the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Seed Program.
Drone that seeds, applies fertilizer, and
We also had to find ways to irrigate the new paddy fields without pumping additional water,” said Engr.
AWD AS ENTRY POINT
KEY TO SUSTAINABILITY
They made water flow in Cotabato
ANNA MARIE B. BERTO
At the beginning,” Abdulkadil continued, “the Midsayap station did intensive promotional and capacity building activities for some farmer leaders and key people of NIA Region 12. NIA eventually seized the project, involved local government units, strengthened IAs and reached more farmers even after we left a few years later. Yes, DA-PhilRice has the technology and the expertise, but the key to the continued adoption of the AWD technology was in the hands of our partners,” he explained.
Participating NIAs and ABs organized competitions for the best implementers and conducted information dissemination and capacity building activities to motivate adopters. They volunteered to get observation wells from the office and install them on their farms because it was well explained to them during their meetings," Edwin P. Respicio, former NIA-MMRIS system chief, said they educated and engaged their staff because she believed it was essential to address the concerns of not only farmers but also people.
REACHING THE UNREACHED
Farmers were required to install at least one observation well in their fields and use it every growing season. Farmers were motivated to follow the policy because they believed in the benefits of AWD. Kyu Seong Lee brightens the day with instructions on providing support to typhoon-affected communities at their project sites in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija.
The Philippines' special place in the hearts of Koreans took root 70 years ago when our country sent more than 7,000 of its soldiers to South Korea, which was then at war with the Communists. The project organizes and conducts direct activities with the Philippines for the development and implementation of technology compared to other Korean programs. Jeong Taek Lee, who led the project while it was hosted by PhilRice in Nueva Ecija until it moved to the Bureau of Plant Industry facilities in Los Baños.
LASTING COMMITMENT FOR FILIPINO FARMERS
The KOPIA project was established in 2010 through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the Korea Rural Development Administration and our Department of Agriculture.
Koreans working
AURA SHAZNAY P. TUMULAK AND CHARISMA LOVE GADO-GONZALES
The amount is entrusted to the co-operative's treasury and managed by them to generate more income and purchase raw materials and machinery for agriculture. The seed fund is a sustainable way to keep all these FCAs running even after the project ends. To make it work, farmers had to learn and embody the values of self-help, dedication and cooperation that were emphasized during the implementation of the project.”
To date, the seed fund has generated up to P2.5 million for 15 FCAs in Luzon and Visayas. After the successful strengthening of the FCA, at least 30 of their representatives and officials and local government personnel were sent to South Korea on an educational trip. Publications, books and training courses were also made available to farmers for information and advancement of knowledge on rice production, including mushrooms, pulses and high-value vegetables.
ALLIES FOR A
PROGRESSIVE FUTURE
VISION FOR FILIPINO FARMERS
The receipt of the ISO certification led to a more systematic program and project planning implementation in the station. Operations and documentation have now become more organized, leading to a better process flow, structure and overall management.” When we applied, we really had no idea how the audit would go, which made us feel quite worried during the preparation.
To make sure we were doing it right, we read out all the documents we thought would be relevant to the audit. Likewise, due to the systematized process flow, the staff can now easily track the status of the documents, which leads to better procedural adjustments.”
Quality Matters
COMPILED BY VANNEZA B. ISIDRO
Before the ISO certification was received, the station's processes were already adapted to the processes of the central experimental station, which is already ISO certified. The R&D units strengthened their processes and results by improving the calibration system for office and laboratory equipment. Prior to our accreditation, we recognized the weak documentation of our processes and activities, which was also one of the major issues during the entire application procedure.
Our application for the ISO certification became a starting point for us to improve our processes and ensure that we only provide our customers with quality products and services.” It was the first time the station applied; therefore, we all had not yet learned how to comply with the requirements, the criteria and what to consider. The evaluation by the internal reviewer showed that the station was not ready for QMS accreditation.
Paying it
THEY DO NOT PAY THE GOVERNMENT BACK; they pay it on to the farmers.
RASGO RSTC Batch 1
FARMERS AND THE GOVERNMENT will focus their efforts on achieving food security, so we will be a country that is self-sufficient in rice and may even have a rice surplus, which we can export to rice-deficient countries. The local DA office will have strengthened ties with the farmers to IMPROVE LOCAL RICE PRODUCTION. Farmers will be happy and inspired to plant their preferred variety, helping them achieve better yield and higher income.
Farmers will fully adopt the NEW TECHNOLOGIES that we have introduced to them, such as the use of high quality seeds and agricultural machinery. There will be continuous production of high quality rice and reduced dependence on other countries for rice supply. As the owner of a farm school, we will help disseminate new rice production technologies among farmers in my area and neighboring communities.
VOXPOP
We envisage HIGHLY TRAINED ENTERPRISE RICE FARMERS adopting modern farm mechanization technologies with the support of their respective local government units.
ZENAIDA VILLANUEVA
LILIBETH NOLASCO
DR. GINA JORDAN
CARL PHILLIP JASON FULGENCIO
JEFFREY ALLAN VILLEGAS
ALMA ALAYON
APPOINTED AND PROMOTED STAFFERS
STAFF
EXTRAORDINAIRE
AWARDEES
COMPILED BY AURA SHAZNAY P. TUMULAK
