Reaching farmers through high quality seed multiplication and dissemination in Nueva Ecija, Iloilo, and Bohol

Issue Date

12-2018

Abstract

Increasing rice production and income of small farmers is always a challenge in Philippine agriculture. New approaches have to be explored so that farmers themselves can work together to achieve their goal of increased productivity and income. High quality seeds in one of the most important needs of farmers especially those who could not afford to buy. To address this problem, the Korea Program on International Agriculture (KOPIA) in collaboration with the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), LGUs [Local government units] and DA [Department of Agriculture] Regional Offices, implemented the seed multiplication and dissemination project to guarantee farmer's access to high quality seeds. The strategy involves lending farmers high quality seeds of the variety they chose at the start of planting season and after harvest they will return the equivalent cash of PhP1,000.00 per sack to the cooperative where they belong. The amount generated becomes the seed money of the cooperative which members can borrow to help finance their farm operations. Four years after the implementation of the collaborative study, the Bantug Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative, in the Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija [Family] generated PhP1,279.050.00 and farm machines. Meanwhile, Bohol Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Pilar, Bohol generated PhP1,257,271.08 and a milling machine whereas the Sinibaan Farmers' Association in Dingle, Iloilo generated PhP 479,000.00 and irrigation facilities that service nearly 100 ha of rice field. Capacity enhancement through farmers’ trainings on each site and free educational tour to South Korea were conducted to increase their knowledge on new technologies. Overall, this collaborative study is geared towards helping the government in achieving rice security and in helping farmers and their cooperative to increase income and capacity to expand rice farming operations.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Crop Science

ISSN

0115-463X

Volume

43

Issue

3

Page

26-34

Document Type

Article

College

College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS)

Physical Description

illustrations; graphs; tables

Language

English

Subject

Rice farmers; Extension programs

En – AGROVOC descriptors

SEED; RICE; QUALITY; PLANT PRODUCTION; FARMERS; FARMERS ASSOCIATIONS; INCOME; EXTENSION ACTIVITIES; EXTENSION PROGRAMMES; PHILIPPINES

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