(L-R) PhilRice Bicol Branch Director Victoria C. Lapitan, Sta. Magdalena Mayor Mark Jewery G. Lozano, Sorsogon Assistant Provincial Agriculturist Roberto D. Fortes, and Municipal Agriculturist Myra F. Escarda sign the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will revive the idle lands hit by saltwater intrusion.
The “Scaling Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) Project for Salt-Affected Rice Environments Project in Sta. Magdalena was officially launched on May 31, marked by a seed distribution, and the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by all involved parties.
Following initial coordination in 2023, the project was introduced in Sta. Magdalena to bolster its food security thrusts. Most of the fields in the project area had been fallow for two to five years due to low productivity caused by saltwater intrusion.
The Binhing Palay technology demonstration was established as an initial effort to showcase the performance of saline-resistant rice varieties. The promising results of this demonstration have encouraged local farmers to utilize their fallow land for rice farming again.
With the support of the provincial government of Sorsogon, 40 dedicated farmers are now set to transform 10.72 ha of land using the Package of Technologies (POT) for saline environments. This initiative includes the use of saline-resilient rice variety NSIC Rc 480 to enhance rice production in salt-affected conditions.
Dr. Victoria C. Lapitan, PhilRice Bicol branch director, said that the project not only aims to revitalize agricultural productivity in Sta. Magdalena but also improve the livelihoods of local farmers by capacitating them with the recommended tools and knowledge to make their farms productive again.
