Search for 'Ulirang Mag-uuma' to award outstanding farmers

Aiming to improve the level of competence among farmers in Cebu, the Mag-uugmad Foundation and Cebu Jaycees Incorporated will recognize farmers who have shown "exemplary resourcefulness and innovations in bringing new ideas/technologies to improve farming practices."

Dubbed the "Ulirang Mag-uuma Award", the search for this year's outstanding farmers is aimed to motivate and encourage farmers to strive for excellence in the field of agriculture, to promote new ideas or technologies and best practices, and to provide a healthy competition among farmers within a particular area that would prepare them for a higher level of competition.

Mag-uugmad Foundation executive director Leonardo Moneva said eight farmers received plaques of recognition in their pilot search last year but this year, with the help of the Cebu Jaycees, more prices await the winners.

The lineup of prices is yet to be finalized but Cebu Jaycees immediate past president Dennis Yap said they are doing their best to improve the quality of the search this year, including the possibility of giving farming equipment to the awardees. Interested donors are welcome to support the endeavor.

The barangays where the farmers reside can submit their nominations to the foundation, which will do the initial screening of nominees. The winners will be recognized June this year.

The search comes in two categories, the open and close categories. Any farmer from Cebu can be nominated in the open category while the close category is exclusive to farmers who are members of Mag-uugmad Foundation and its partner organizations.

In the open category, nominees will be judged according to any indigenous discovery in the field of agriculture, sustainability and replicability of the discovery, whether the project is environment friendly, and benefits of the project beyond the farmer's income.

Meanwhile, in the close category, nominees will be judged on their membership in any Mag-uugmad partner organizations, sound farming design and management appropriate for upland, people and family participation, innovativeness, sustainability, replicability, farm productivity, income, benefits beyond home, and environment-friendly basis.

The number of awardees will depend on the number of nominees. - Joeberth M. Ocao