Written by Chona Suner-Narvadez   “Social responsibility is everyone’s responsibility.  There’s always enough for everyone if we care to share in a responsible manner,“ so says Mr. Steven T. Cua, president of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association Inc (PAGASA), during his talk with the members of the Philippine Tropical Wines and Spirits Cluster, an informal group of local alcoholic beverage manufacturers. Constraints Mr. Cua’s talk is the first of a […]

Written by Charisma Love B Gado   Hardworking extension workers passing through the endless fields of Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur, could easily be comforted  from work pressures by just hearing the farmers’ lively, upbeat song adopted from an Iluko composition, Bitbituen (Stars). Dagiti gagayyem nga insekto Konserbaren tay nga agnanayun Isuda’t makatulong panagpaksiat ti kabusur. Dagiti mais a dinadael Da cornborer ket stemborer Awan kuma’t pagdanagan Madadael ket masulnitan. Daytoy […]

Written by Charisma Love B Gado   Farmers in the Ilocos region are assured of the effectiveness of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as these are being adopted by extension workers in their own backyards. “I first tried a kilo of VAM (vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae) in the tomatoes planted in my backyard garden before I facilitated the Farmers Field School (FFS) on IPM in our town,” Clemente Viernes, extension worker […]

Written by Charisma Love B Gado   Their story is far from the mythical phoenix that reaching about 1,000 years, it builds itself a nest of twigs, then burn with it to rise again. However, the take off of some farmer-groups in Ilocos Norte is likened to the phoenix that after some moments of dormancy, they are mounted to a potent rebirth brought by the conduct of Farmer Field School […]

Written by Ella Lois T Bestil   In the rainfed area in Tabtabungao, La Union, rice yield increased amid water crisis. Fields lack supplemental irrigation; yet, farmers attained 4 t/ha – thanks to Aerobic Rice Technology (ART).  The yield is a feat, as farmers used to harvest 2-2.5 t/ha. ART is a cropping system that uses less water than the traditional practice, which takes about 3,000-5,000 l of water to […]

Written by Andrei B Lanuza   From a rice breeder’s perspective, field trials are crucial in determining and testing the different traits of a new rice variety, either produced via traditional methods or through modern biotechnology. Some agronomic characteristics that are often determined during field tests include pest and disease resistance, and climate tolerance. Field trials are essential in determining the adaptability of any rice variety under development for local […]

Written by the Web Team   Availability of information on improved rice farming may no longer be an issue, but access to information posed challenges. With the wealth of information on rice farming available on the websites of the Department of Agriculture, Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and other attached agencies, farmers could optimize rice farming if they are connected to the Internet. However, most of them are not connected […]

Written by the Web Team   The farming circle has probably reached the tipping point where the word “irrigation” is almost synonymous to pulling off wads of cash. Not in anyone’s wildest imagination could it be equated to being low cost. But then, that is probably why we need to imagine further. Irrigation can be low cost as the PhilRice researchers based in Batac, Ilocos Norte would prove. With the […]

Written by Charisma Love B Gado   Asia has one of the highest prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in the world with 33.5 percent pre-school children affected. In the Philippines and Bangladesh, four out of every ten children aged 6 months to 5 years and two in every ten pre-school children, respectively, are estimated to be vitamin A-deficient. With what statistics insist, mothers like Ma. Cecilia Anama, 34, from Tanza, […]

Written by Charisma Love B Gado   Grain drying technologies are important for many agriculture sub-sectors. The renewed emphasis to sustainability, eco-friendliness and integration in grain farming has led towards considerable progress in the development of these technologies to help farmers and stakeholders enhance product quality and reduce costs. Regional Manager Jeffrey Tu of Taiwan-based Suncue International Marketing said, “By recognizing the significance of integrating this technology to the production […]