For decades, many rice farmers in Quezon relied on experience, tradition, or advice from fellow farmers when deciding how and when to apply fertilizer. Despite their hard work, many struggled to maximize yields while keeping fertilizer costs under control. “We would often apply fertilizer 15 days after planting and use only one kind excessively, like urea,” said Elena M. Bautista, 68-year-old farmer from Tiaong, Quezon. Like many farmers in the […]

“It starts at the pump, but ends in the soil.” For Thelma T. Alabon, 63, of San Mariano, Isabela, this is the reality of rice farming. When fuel prices go up, fertilizer prices follow, and for farmers like her, that’s a direct hit to the pocket. But Alabon did not see rising costs affect her harvests. She used a mix of common sense and hard work to turn things around, […]

While global tensions and the Iran–U.S. standoff send imported fertilizer prices soaring, 77-year-old retired soldier Silvestre M. Bucat has found a way to win his own battle in the fields of Brgy. Canaynayan, Sta. Cruz, Zambales. By embracing the Balanced Fertilization Strategy (BFS), Bucat transformed his 1.5-ha farm into a model of profitability, slashing his production costs while increasing his yield.   “Our total cost went down to only PhP20,000. That’s […]

What if the secret needed to develop rice that can survive floods, mature earlier, and provide better nutrition has been hiding in traditional rice varieties (TRVs) all along? That is what the 1,001 Rice Genomes (1k1RG) Program seeks to discover.  Led by Filipino scientists from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), the pioneering research initiative is studying the rich genetic diversity […]

SAN JUAN, La Union — While many farmers in Barangay Duplas abandoned the rice variety NSIC Rc 512 after bacterial leaf blight, rice blast, and sheath blight hit during the 2025 wet season, farmer Jerry M. Abat chose to keep planting it. Abat, a cooperator under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) PalaySikatan 2.0 technology demonstration, said he relied on crop management practices he learned from the project. Despite typhoon […]

As the country works to strengthen support for farmers, a rice grower who lost his eyesight continues to cultivate his land with the help of his son, showing how family support and access to government programs can help sustain agriculture. At the edge of his rice field in Brgy. Tariken, Sultan Mastura, Abdulkadir T. Adam listens closely as his son describes what he sees—the color of the leaves, the presence […]

RAPU-RAPU, Albay — Rice farmers in this island municipality have continued using mechanized transplanting even after a techno demo was completed under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Seed Program. For years, transplanting in Rapu-Rapu was done entirely by hand as transporting heavy machinery to the island posed logistical and cost challenges.  The introduction of a walk-behind mechanical transplanter during the PalaySikatan demonstration marked the first time local farmers were […]

With a smartphone in one hand and a rice seedling in the other, 28-year-old Rovie A. Dela Peña of Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur, is promoting a modern approach to rice farming. Dela Peña trains farmers to use the PalayCheck App, a digital guide for rice production that helps farmers plan each cropping season, track farm activities and expenses, and follow recommendations tailored to their location and crop growth stage.  […]

Farmers beyond the Ilocos Region are embracing a low-cost bamboo-bin dryer promoted by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Batac, Ilocos Norte. This postharvest technology is transforming how palay is dried, making the process more affordable, efficient, and reliable. Jovelyn Mandalihan of Brgy. Laon, Mogpog, Marinduque, first heard about the dryer through Facebook. Curious, she traveled to Ilocos Norte to buy one for her household. What began […]

Across the island provinces of Romblon, Marinduque, and Palawan, the arrival of certified rice seeds was once marked by waiting—waiting at ports, waiting through inspections, and waiting under the sun as shipments from faraway provinces slowly made their way to farmers’ fields. Each delay carried a cost, and each journey put seed quality at risk. For the Strengthening Seed Growers’ Cooperatives and Associations (SSGCA) project team of the Rice Competitiveness […]