Articles
Discovering passion at the right time April 12, 2023 - Forty and above is the new twenty. While most people have their careers planned out by the age of 20, Kharen A. Pascual and Telma M. Santiago are just getting started. Starting anew Forty-year-old Kharen of Brgy. Estrella, San Mateo, Isabela used to be an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Hong Kong like her husband […]
Farmers made competitive through RCEF training March 31, 2023 - The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) has produced competitive farmers in its more than 200 farm schools across the country since the implementation of its Rice Extension Services Program (RESP) in 2019. “In the pursuit of increased productivity and income in the agriculture sector, we recognize that continuous education of our farmers is key, and […]
Technos, upgraded skill needed for farmers’ competitiveness March 28, 2023 - Where will your P20 take you? While the P20/kg price tag for rice may seem a far-fetched idea, the SanGlad RiceBIS Farmers Association is turning this wish into a reality for the Midsayap residents. The association’s product was first purchased by the locals during the Lakbay Palay event of DA-PhilRice Midsayap last year. According to […]
New Strat Plan prioritizes GAD February 3, 2023 - Anchored on the Institute’s mandate, DA-PhilRice continues to ensure that gender and development (GAD) is integrated in its new strategic plan to be implemented from 2023 to 2028. Projects under the new programs are evaluated through a checklist determining whether these are gender-sensitive and responsive. Implementers also ensure that harmonized GAD guidelines, which provide a […]
Growing success: From housewife to seed grower January 24, 2023 - “Ready or not, tell yourself to jump.” When her husband passed away more than 10 years ago, Kathryn Barroga, was only left with one choice – oversee their 5-ha farm while taking care of her two children, then aged 19 and 12 years old. Kathryn, a physical therapist by profession, spent her childhood on a […]
Deserted farm brings profit to mom agripreneur December 15, 2022 - A short drive from the highway along San Antonio Weste in Lupao, Nueva Ecija is a field teeming with vegetables ready for harvest. Beside it is another field from which rice was freshly harvested. One would not think that these were barren seven months ago. Aila G. Grospe, farm owner, recalls that the 1.3-ha farm […]
RICEponsible kids molded November 4, 2022 - Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija – Students vowed to be “RICEponsible” in a National Rice Awareness Month (NRAM) event for kids held at Maligaya Elementary School, Nov. 25. The activity aimed to mold children not to waste rice and appreciate farmers’ hard work through creative presentations and by giving kid-friendly knowledge products about rice […]
More income in less space through vertical gardening October 6, 2022 - Adding a vertical garden in a rice-based farming system augments sources of income; an established setup in the Palayamanan farm of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) showed. Dr. Marissa V. Romero, lead of PhilRice’s project Modernized rice-based farming systems and value-adding technologies, said that integrating vertical garden in Palayamanan increases sources of […]
Keeping the passion for almost four generations September 29, 2022 - “We’re not here because it’s an easy life. We’re here to make lives easy.” This is the essence of serving the Filipino rice farmers, according to Dr. Santiago R. Obien, now 87, first DA-PhilRice director. A crux deeply ingrained that no insurgencies, vandalized fields, travel ordeals, and limited resources can interrupt. Conflict passers-by Reaching the […]
#ChallengeAccepted: Bringing more options to rice lovers August 23, 2022 - Living a healthy life is a matter of choice. While some people choose to be healthy, others take on the bigger responsibility to help others live a healthy life. In the rice industry, there are people who took on the challenge to bring healthier rice options to more Filipinos’ tables. Rice options to curb malnutrition […]
Producing rice seeds in pandemic times July 2, 2022 - Rice production is very vital regardless of major disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic, especially because rice is a necessity. That is why despite hurdles, those who are tasked to increase rice production through hybrid rice persevere. Before the pandemic, Dr. Fidel Ramos, senior science research specialist at DA-PhilRice Isabela, related that their three-hectare parental seed […]
Starting anew with rice-veggie agribiz easy with coop June 5, 2022 - When they lost their jobs because of the pandemic, licensed massage therapist Aila Grospe and her business consultant-husband Pierangelo Alejo were faced with the challenge to look for new sources of income. Remembering her family’s 1.3-ha farm, which they did not till for 15 years since her father passed away, Aila convinced her husband to […]
Dr. Riza Abilgos-Ramos: nutritionist, researcher, and living a healthy lifestyle May 9, 2022 - We eat, work, and pray every day. Why not add exercise in between? Dr. “Reeze”, our recently conferred Scientist I, shares her journey as a nutritionist and her insights on work–life balance. Becoming a nutritionist During her childhood in Camarines Norte, Doc Reeze was skinny and very sickly. She was among those who lined up […]
Community Seed Banking Works April 21, 2022 - Rice farming, particularly in uplands where it is done only once a year, cannot be postponed to a later year for whatever excuse there might be. Upland farmers depend much on their limited rice produce, supplemented with other staples. The community seed banking (CSB), a good practice under the informal seed system leads farmers into […]
Profitable, risk-free shift for the environment March 17, 2022 - I am Monica L. Cab-ad, 58, a rice and vegetable farmer for life. Even as a child, I knew that I would stay in this kind of work. It was my family’s identity. For years now, I had been managing a 1,500m2 land that can be reached through a 30-min walk from our home in […]
Yes to Agriculture February 15, 2022 - Children seldom mention agriculture-related careers when they talk about their future dream jobs. Studies reveal that the youth’s disinterest is mainly because of their perception that farming is unprofitable, that there are so many risks tied to it, and that it is a difficult back-breaking job. This is a global phenomenon. Data from the International […]
Digital agriculture for climate resiliency January 24, 2022 - The Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative in Agriculture or AMIA Program is one of the Key Strategies under the ONE DA Framework. Among the main focus of the AMIA Program is conducting regional and provincial climate risk and vulnerability assessments to identify proactive measures in adapting to changing climate and the hazards that it […]
Breaking Barriers: The sisterhood in rice farming December 13, 2021 - While substantial steps to promote gender equality in our country have been taken with the enactment of the Magna Carta of Women in 2009, gender gaps remain in other industries like agriculture. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, 8.31 million men and 2.76 million ladies in 2016 were employed in agriculture. Men were also paid […]
Enchanting the youth into agriculture November 3, 2021 - One of the alternative courses of action in disseminating information about agriculture is engaging the youth community. Various programs have been developed to encourage the youth to be involved in agriculture especially in rice farming to help farmers adapt available technologies. Let’s discover the engagements of the youth in agriculture. After almost 7 years of […]
Women find new aspirations in RiceBIS September 8, 2021 - Darkness starts to engulf the remaining light of the day but the rustles have not slowed down a bit inside the Pinagbuklod na Adhika Multipurpose Cooperative (PNAMC) facility in Macarse, Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija. The last sack of palay was poured into the brown rice milling machine. Several women can be seen filling plastic bags labeled […]
