Farmers enhance knowledge in organic agriculture

Manila, Philippines -  Close to 300 farmers recently graduated from a field school program that aims to enhance their knowledge in organic agriculture.

The La Liga Policy Institute said 270 rice farmers in Pangasinan graduated from the 2011-2012 “Organikong Palayan” (OP) field-school program and vowed to apply in their own farms theirnewly-acquired knowledge and skills in organic agriculture.

La Liga managing director Roland Cabigas said, “Organikong Palayan is an innovative agriculture development strategy which gathers and mobilizes local agriculture stakeholders. That include individual farmers, NGOs, local governments units, technicians and national government through the Department of Agriculture (DA). The partnership seeks to address both the need to demonstrate organic agriculture as a viable and sustainable option for farmers and the institutionalization of such program in the planning and budget priority of participating local government units (LGUs).

Farmers from Alaminos City and municipalities of Bani, Burgos and Dasol in Pangasinan, received their certificates of completion of the OP Season-long Training (SLT) during their graduation ceremony.

“The graduation of hundreds of new organic rice farmers is regarded as a new milestone in our advocacy for sustainable, organic and ecological agriculture,” Cabigas said. He added, “Organikong Palayan program helps restore soil fertility, reduces expenses for agricultural inputs and increases the incomes of farmers and the farming community. In the medium term, it significantly contributes in the implementation of the DA’s strategy of attaining food and staple sufficiency.”

The OP program is being implemented by La Liga and is in line with DA’s own program called Agrikulturang Pilipino or Agri-Pinoy guided by the principles of food security and self-sufficiency, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, natural resource management and local development.

La Liga and Go Organic Philippines movement, which also serves as a convenor, have been advocating for sustainable, organic and ecological agriculture in the country for years now. These two groups earlier pushed to have an organic agriculture legislation in the country. In 2010, the Philippine Organic Agriculture Act (RA 100681) was signed into law.

Organikong Palayan is La Liga`s response to the opportunities and challenges brought about by the enactment of the Philippine Organic Agriculture Act of 2010 and the National Organic Agriculture Plan.

It was in July last year when La Liga formally launched the OP program. The farmers then enrolled in the SLT and participated in its 14 sessions of production of organic fertilizer and actual organic rice farming in eight designated learning farms.

Cabigas said the farmers  vowed to devote at least 105 hectares of combined farm areas to organic production in this year’s rice season.