The Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) cited the progress achieved by Negros farmers during the 2nd Site Working Group (SWG) meeting of the Rice Business Innovations System (RiceBIS) Negros Community in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Sep. 22. RiceBIS created a “pilot-test development model for community transformation that is participatory, market-driven, and supported by a scientific production base to improve the competitiveness of rice-based farming communities.” This […]

A crop health training aimed at improving the Negros team’s pest monitoring and data collection process was conducted by the CES-based Pest Risk Identification and Management (PRIME) team on June 29. The PRIME project sets up monitoring fields where collected data are sent to a Web App that gives out alerts in case of increased pest incidences. Negros station has 30 crop health monitoring fields at present.

Farmers from seven local government units in Region VI found that Minus-one Element Technique (MOET), a nutrient diagnostic tool developed by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), is easy to use during a recent Farmers’ Field Day. MOET, which is used in determining the nutrient levels of rice soils, received good feedback from 130 rice growers that it is easy to apply and that they can sustain […]

The graduate If you thought people of age are stubborn and not open to modern ideas, meet Nanay Cecilia F. Tagobador, 54-year-old farmer from Bago City, Negros Occidental. She is one of the 125 farmers who graduated from the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Farmer Field School facilitated by MBA Forest Technical School Inc. under the auspices of the RCEF Extension program. “We learned that spraying pesticide should not be […]

Following success in establishing a farmers’ cooperative in Murcia, Negros Occidental, Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) based here is expanding its assistance on business entrepreneurship to two municipalities. Anileen Pajarillo, station lead of Rice Business Innovation System (RiceBIS) program, said that about 200 farmers in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental and Canalon City, Negros Oriental are attending trainings on rice production and agri-enterprise following strict health protocol. According […]

Farmers in Murcia, Negros Occidental started to update their knowledge on rice farming with the recent launching of PalayAralan, an informal learning series, in Brgy. Damsite. Conducted by Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), 26 farmers under the RiceBIS Agrarian Reform Cooperative learned about managing pests and diseases. According to Jose Arnel Cordova, science research specialist, rice production in the area is quite low due to bacterial leaf blight […]

Manuel B. Espino, 47, of  Bago City, Negros Occidental, has been farming for 10 years when he tried two varieties — one recommended by the station for national planting, and the other location-specific for Western Visayas. With proper rice farming technologies, he harvested 120 bags (46kg per bag) of NSIC Rc 160, up by 10-20% from his usual haul. PSB Rc 10, recommended for their region, showed resistance against fungal […]