Farmers are more inclined to adopt new practices when they are introduced by fellow rice growers.  Higenio Cuento, a graduate of Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Rice Extension Services Program training in 2019, observes this as he trains fellow tillers in the Masaganang Bukid Farm in Nagcarlan, Laguna. Cuento observed that farmer-participants were eager to learn about the technologies promoted by RCEF in Farmer Field School (FFS); however, not all […]

New areas covered by the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program in Caraga and Northern Mindanao expressed gratitude for inclusion in the certified inbred rice seed distribution. Starting this 2023 wet season, farmers in Surigao del Norte, Dinagat, and Camiguin will benefit from seed allocation of 10,800, 2,100, and 260 sacks, respectively. Karen Olpos, the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Dinagat Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), emphasized the program’s significance in […]

PhilRice in the Central Experiment Station receives 95% satisfaction rate from its learners during the first quarter indicating that the Institute has met their educational goals in their visit. To sustain learner satisfaction, branch stations will be oriented on the headquarter’s best practices for accommodating learners and designing their itineraries to fulfill their learning objectives. This knowledge and sharing activity already kicked off in the Negros station. From Jan. to […]

This paper explored the impetus for and processes of change as implemented by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in the four major entry points in gender mainstreaming framework (GMEF), namely: policies, capacity development, enabling mechanisms, and banner projects.

Farmers in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte have found a new income stream through oyster mushroom production they recently learned from a training on rice-based crop diversification or Palayamanan. Joemarie Calulot, one of the farmer-trainees, said that they used to earn a monthly income of PhP10,000- PhP12,000 from rice farming and vegetable production. When they began producing and selling oyster mushrooms and fruiting bags, their monthly income increased to PhP18,000-PhP20,000. Calulot, one […]

Farmers in Tarlac will again receive certified inbred rice seeds as the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program resumes its operations for the 2023 wet season with a kick-off ceremony and technical briefing held at the Diwa ng Tarlac Convention Center, April 14. Under the RCEF Seed Program implemented by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the province will receive nearly 80,000 bags of certified inbred seeds, covering an […]

Researchers in DA-PhilRice Agusan are collaborating with Surigao del Sur farmers in identifying the effects of laterite runoff or red soil from mining sites in the rice fields.  A package of technology recommendations will be released based on the data to help farmers enhance productivity and reduce their production costs. Farmers’ survey and field validation with 15 affected farmers were conducted to characterize the soil, evaluate crop productivity, and identify socio-economic […]

DA’s Regional Field Office in Region 8 will initiate a project that will benefit rice farmers in saline-prone areas in Eastern Visayas this wet season. In a discussion, Dr. Victoria Lapitan, PhilRice Bicol branch director, presented the branch’s R4D projects such as the scaling integrated crop management for saline-prone rice ecosystem, rice intensification and sustainability enhancement for water-scarce rice ecosystems in Samar, and the Malusog Rice Program. Regional Technical Director […]

In Ligao City, Albay, Vera Shane Dy Placides is living her childhood dream of serving Filipino farmers as a local agriculture technician in the city agriculture office.  Her commitment to her dream led her to engage in training programs, including the training of trainers on the production of inbred rice, seed certification, and farm mechanization, as well as the Rice Specialist Training Course under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund  Rice […]

Manual transplanting is the dominant rice crop establishment method in the Philippines. This partially causes the high labor cost that drives up rice production cost in the country, along with the inflating fertilizer and fuel prices. Consequently, it has become more challenging to make farmers competitive with the cheap imported rice from neighboring countries. This policy brief explores the viability of transitioning from transplanted rice (TPR) to direct-seeded rice (DSR) […]