URBAN FARMER

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[av_heading heading=’Relevance of agri cooperatives’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JULIO P. YAP JR.

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RESEARCHERS from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) reported that agricultural cooperatives have been found to be effective partners in technology promotion and rural development.
Through the project entitled “Empowering farmers’ cooperatives through sustainable promotion of high yielding rice production technologies for progressive rural economy,” agricultural cooperatives were recognized as important vehicles in promoting cost-reducing and high-yielding rice and rice-based farming technologies.
“What makes agricultural cooperatives unique is that they have a unified action to become viable while helping individual members improve,” project member Christian Flor Guittap said.
When the cooperative is able to prove that a specific technology is efficient, it is certain that the farmer-members will adopt it in a sustainable manner.
In 2014, the PhilRice partnered with several farmer cooperatives in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan for the promotion, evaluation, and adoption of technologies to help their respective farming communities.
Among the partner-agricultural cooperatives was the Parista Barangay Defense System Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PBDS-MPC) which is based in Lupao, Nueva Ecija.
“During our discussion with PBDS-MPC, we found that the cooperative practices conventional farming such that its members do not use quality rice seeds and other technologies, and apply fertilizers without assessing their soil needs,” Guittap said.
To address these gaps, the project members established technology demonstration farms and conducted season-long training programs, field days, farmers’ forum, and training for the cooperative’s farm advisors.
Of the 59 farmer-members of the PBDS-MPC who participated in the project, about 78 percent adopted the technologies promoted by the project during the 2015 wet season (WS) and 2016 dry season (DS).
“This percentage equates to high level of adoption. In 2016 DS, we also found that 73 percent of the participating coop-members achieved an average yield increase of 0.5 ton per hectare (t/ha), while 22 percent of farmers attained more than one t/ha increase in yield,” study lead Joel Pascual said.
The farmer-members of the coop adopted various technologies such as the use of certified seeds, Minus One Element Technique (MOET), leaf color chart (LCC), integrated pest management (IPM), and rice-based farming systems.
Farmer-cooperator Ferdinand C. Orate said that when he tried using the new variety NSIC Rc308 endorsed by PhilRice through their cooperative, his harvest increased by up to 40 percent.
Along the banks and dikes, he also tried planting cash crops such as saluyot, string beans, and okra that he now sells in the local Lupao market.
Meanwhile, project lead Dr. Aurora Corales said that the partnership with cooperatives contributed to the empowerment of farmers and their organizations toward community welfare.
This model may serve as a guide in implementing developmental activities, promoting location-specific rice and rice-based technologies to improve farmers’ lives./PN

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