Eranio A. Mojica was standing beside a poster by the door of their office as he waited for the employees of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) to arrive. He was tapped to be part of an activity that would feature farmers-recipients of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP). Mojica, chair of the five-year-old First Damayan Bagsit Irrigators Association in Brgy. Bulawen, Palauig, Zambales, can […]

More rice specialists. The Philippine rice industry has gained more rice specialists with the recent completion of the Rice Specialists’ Training Course conducted by Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute in RTRomualdez, Agusan del Norte. While on training, the 25 participants taught about 100 farmers in the Farmer Field School. The new rice specialists in Regions 10, 11, and 13 were from DA-Regional Field Office, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, […]

The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) pushes for the mobilization of infomediaries in increasing the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) among rice farmers. This move aligns with the ONE DA framework towards modernization. In its latest Rice Science for Decision-Makers issue, “Digital agriculture – how do we make it work?”, DA-PhilRice recommends the employment of professional infomediaries in municipal agriculture offices, possibly from K-to-12 agriculture track graduates, […]

This harvest season, Rolando C. San Gabriel, retired agriculturist and now a seed grower, achieved a good harvest through continuous learning. “Though I may know about rice farming more than other farmers because of my profession, I still look for opportunities to learn because I believe that as I gain knowledge, I can achieve better results,” the 70-year-old farmer said. San Gabriel harvested 18 cavans of NSIC Rc 508 (57kg […]

There is no single way to effectively manage pests in the rice field, an expert from the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) said with the recent infestation of brown planthoppers (BPH) in 600 ha of rice farms in Bulacan. “Many farmers look for that one solution to end pest problems in their rice fields, but there is none. We need to combine several practices in managing pests in […]

To prepare the rice research and development workers in the country for the possible Fall Armyworm (FAW) infestation, the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) tapped the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) in conducting an intensive training among rice technical workers in the country. Tools developed by CABI were introduced in a recent 3-day online session by CABI’s pest experts from Malaysia, India, UK, and […]

MURCIA, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL – Farmer-cooperators here have achieved 1-ton increase in a techno demo farm showcased by Rice Seed System project in Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice). Rey Canugon, one of the four farmer-cooperators, said he used high-quality seeds of NSIC Rc 222 and practiced the PalayCheck System, an integrated crop management system for rice. Released in 2010, Rc 222 yields an average of 6.1t/ha and maximum of […]

GLENDALINE L. KALAW Executive Assistant III, Office of the Executive Director Prior to her current post, she co-authored publications on Rice Integrated Crop Management in the Philippines, and was a part of the inception team of the Rice Check System, now known as the PalayCheck System. She embarked on her career as a financial analyst, statistical associate, and technical support to research management after earning her degree in Agribusiness Management […]

Three women farmers in Currimao, Ilocos Norte retell their stories of separation, hard work, and triumph with DA-PhilRice Batac. They were the Institute’s farmer-partners in implementing the Palayamanan and the JICA Technical Cooperation Projects (TCP) 3 a couple of decades or so ago. Palayamanan is a diversified integrated rice-based farming system that aimed to maximize the use of resources, reduce farming risks, enhance sustainability, productivity and profitability, and improve economic […]

BURAYOC, PAGUDPUD, ILOCOS NORTE – Rice farmers here recently tried the mechanical transplanter showcased in a techno demo facilitated by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)-Seed Program. Used for rice establishment, the mechanical transplanter has helped farmers in RCEF techno demo sites dubbed as PalaySikatan. Farmers who used the farm machine for one season said that it reduced transplanting cost by almost 50%. The cooperators reported that they used to […]