Scare me not. Giant and creative Bambanti, an Iloko term for scarecrow, rule the streets of Ilagan City, Isabela during this month’s Bambanti Festival to promote the province as the new emerging agro-industrial capital of the Philippines.  While farmers usually use scarecrows to drive away birds, researchers at International Rice Research Institute allow the feathered creatures to flock on their fields. Researchers observed that of more than 50 different bird […]

Written by the Web Team   As part of the movement to a more RICEponsible Philippines, new recipes that will excite kids to eat brown rice and rice mixes were showcased in a recent cooking contest hosted by the Department of Agriculture. Ms. Cheryl C. Suarez, officer-in-charge of the Agriculture and Fisheries Information Division (AFID), said that it is best to introduce brown rice to the children so they can […]

Written by the Web Team   The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) cautioned farmers to be more careful in buying seeds after the agency had found a rampant unauthorized use of its sacks in Nueva Ecija and Isabela. When transacting with seed dealers, PhilRice advised farmers to contact the Farmers` Text Center at 0920-9111398 to verify prices, rice varieties being sold, and quality of the seeds. Investigations by a Fact […]

Written by the Web Team   Empowering the farmers and increasing their income amidst threats of climate change is possible through community shared agriculture (CSA) or bringing together the farmers and consumers. CSA, a concept being advocated in the country by the Good Food Community (GFC), assures smallholder farmers of a stable demand while giving the urban dwellers, especially in Metro Manila, easy access to “the healthiest, best-tasting harvest.” Charlene […]

Written by the Web Team   Local executives in the country are prioritizing measures that will reduce rice wastage as commitment in sustaining the National Year of Rice 2013, which will be launched this year as the Be RICEponsible campaign. During last year’s Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines meeting, around 130 towns and cities pledged to support policies that would  promote responsible rice consumption for the country to be […]

Written by the Web Team Artsy farmers . Farmers can earn additional income from their handpicked golden apple snails or golden kuhol, major pests in rice production that could reduce yield by up to 40 percent. Dried shells from handpicked snails can be marketed as wall or table décor, key chain, or candle holder. Cherry Ann Dumahin, a researcher in Philippine Rice Research Institute based in Isabela, said that a […]

Written by the Web Team   Police powers and legal remedies are not the only ways to  stop rice smuggling as Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the country’s lead in rice science and development, proposes a long-term solution. PhilRice economists, Dr. Flordeliza Bordey and Aileen Litonjua, said that eliminating the opportunity to smuggle can reduce, if not stop rice smuggling. They said that the prospect of raking-in high profits owing […]

Written by the Web Team   The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) fast tracks the adaptation of farming technologies with its seven branches across the country implementing a more developmental approach. During the institute`s 59th Board of Trustees meeting last month, the highest policy-making body agreed that the branch stations will broaden its development focus to address other farming needs in the community. Until last year, PhilRice stations have specialized […]

Written by the Web Team   Protect rice plants against golden apple snail or golden kuhol few days after they are transplanted, an expert from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) advised the farmers. Golden Kuhol, considered a major pest as it could reduce yield by up to 40 percent, devour young plants from the base; damaging the leaves and leaf sheaths. “When these parts are removed, the transplanted plants […]

Written by the Web Team   Economists based at Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) found in their studies that low investment in research and development (R&D) slows down agricultural productivity. In a volume of the 12-monograph series in Productivity Growth in Philippine Agriculture authored by Flordeliza Bordey and Sergio Francisco of PhilRice Socioeconomics Division, they stated that the country’s ability to feed an increasing population or total factor productivity is […]