Advocacy campaign and showcase of technology upscales crop establishment practices in Lucena City.
In pursuit of addressing the identified low adoption and utilization of crop establishment technologies, the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) has just completed its advocacy campaign and showcase of technology on September 5-6 in Lucena City.
The advocacy campaign and showcase of technology were part of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) – Mechanization Program under Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law, authored by Senator Cynthia A. Villar. This law aims to improve the competitiveness of rice farmers by equipping them with modern technologies and reducing the cost of rice production.
For two days, 87 participants joined the event for a unique blend of farmer-to-farmer learning with hands-on demonstrations that aimed to change the landscape of agriculture within the region.
The highlight of the campaign dubbed “Makinaryang Pantanim Push na Yan sa Palayan” meant to promote the wider dissemination of improved crop establishment technologies for local farmers. Perhaps the most exciting point about the whole campaign was that this was a farmer-to-farmer approach where experiences were shared between fellow farmers who have been using the technologies for more than ten years.
One of the event’s main highlights was its live demonstration of such technologies. It allowed the participants to have a firsthand look of the actual planting of mechanical rice transplanter in the field. This will be done for the purpose of closing the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical field application.
The words of Alicia Lambon of the Ginintuang Butyl Irrigators Association say it all: “Nakatutuwa dahil binibigyan kami ng chance na matuto sa ganitong paraan, wala ng mga batang magsasaka kaya kailangan naming matuto dahil kung hindi ay wala ng mga magsasaka sa bukid at wala tayong kakainin kaya nag papasalamat kami sa PHilMech at sa Gobyerno dahil dinadala niyo sa amin ang mga kasanayan sa paggamit ng transplanter.”
The advocacy campaign and showcase of technology in Lucena serve as the last leg of the “Makinaryang Pantanim Push na Yan sa Palayan,” this year, the campaign would not stop there as this was set to be followed by a Harvest Festival. The follow-up activity will not just report how areas where crop establishment technologies were introduced are doing well but also showcase the fruits from such an improvement in farming.
The showcase and campaign were ultimately deemed successful, by highlighting the benefits of crop establishment technologies and shared experiences by their fellow farmers, PHilMech’s goal to have a sustainable agricultural practices among rice farmers nationwide will reach in time. (FB, DA-PhilMech, September 10, 2024)
