Thirty-five (35) agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) members of the Macutay ARB Farmers Association, Inc. (MAFAI), located in Macutay, Rizal, Kalinga, have engaged in organic vegetable production after completing a livelihood training conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to help them become resilient to unpredictable climate, produce better crops and increase their profit.
Adela Damaso DAR-Kalinga Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer said the training was conducted under the Sustainable Livelihood Support to Disaster Affected Areas (SLSDAA) of the agency, in compliance with the directive of DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III to improve the livelihood of the farmers.
SLSDAA is under the Climate Resiliency & Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPSP) of the department geared towards building resiliency in agrarian communities through the enhancement of productivity as an adaptation measure for climate change.
“This livelihood training extended to the members of the cooperative has equipped the farmers with knowledge and skills on organic vegetable production. It aims to enhance farmers’ traditional knowledge and adopt innovative changes to increase their productivity and income,” Damaso said.
Damaso said the training taught the ARBs modern organic farming technology of producing organic vegetables from land preparation to post-harvest activities.
The farmers were lectured on climate change awareness and good agricultural practices. They had hands-on intensive training on producing organic fertilizer and the process and management of organic vegetable production.
Adeline Basiag, DAR Kalinga SLSDAA point person said the ARBs were encouraged to replicate the demo farm in their own farms and backyards for the daily supply of nutritious foods and as a source of sustainable livelihood of their family.
Jerry Agamata Ronelo, president of the MAFAI, on behalf of the ARBs, thanked the DAR-Kalinga because they have learned so much from the training and said that they would maintain a record to compare their previous traditional method of planting with the new technology.
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