Philippine corn farmers step up production from new technology

Equipped with modern farming techniques from a government training programme, farmers in Davao Oriental, Philippines, are stepping up the production of crops in a concerted effort to fight poverty.

Marginal lands in Cateel and Tarragona, Davao Oriental now under development are expected to yield enough harvest of corn with the help of modern farming methods.

A total of 100 corn farmers attended the launching of the Farmer Scientist Training Program (FSTP) last April 22 and 23, 2010 at Cateel and Tarragonna, Davao Oriental, respectively. It was jointly implemented by the Department of Agriculture (DA), University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB), the Davao Oriental Local Government Unit (LGU), Provincial S&T Center of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and other concerned agencies.

FSTP is an agriculture-based strategy to improve the knowledge and skills of farmers by adopting scientific methods to increase the productivity of corn and other crops as well as livestock, particularly in corn-producing areas.

Through the FSTP, farmers are expected to produce 4-6 tonnes per hectare of corn and other crops by applying new technologies learned during the training.

FSTP started in 1994 by Romulo Davide of UPLB and has been adopted province-wide in Cebu and in the provinces of Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Occidental Mindoro, and now in Davao Oriental.

DOST through the FSTP will provide technical and financial support for Research and Development (R&D); provide technology transfer through the development of appropriate production technologies and extension modalities to be used by LGUs and their farmer-scientists clientele; and link the farmers with the Techno Gabay Program through the Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) Centers. R&D proposals will also be accepted by DOST for evaluation.

After its launching in Davao Oriental, FSTP will be launched next in Compostela Valley Province with initial programme implementation to commence on the first week of May 2010.