Sustainable farming methods a big help for Agusan del Sur farmers
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 3 July) — Bernardo Adtoon, a farmer from Barangay Langag in the town of Esperanza, has successfully sent his three children to college due to the significant income from his rubber tree products after applying the right techniques in rubber farming.
Previously, the family’s situation was tough as they worked as farm laborers earning only ₱200 per day.
“The technology we learned through USAD has greatly helped us,” Adtoon said in the vernacular.
Adtoon is among the farmer-enrollees of the Upland Sustainable Agriforestry Development (USAD) who have proven that their lives have improved after learning the proper farming technologies through the intervention of the provincial government.
They are from various rural areas of the province who are beneficiaries of USAD and Sustainable Lowland Agricultural Development (SLAD) programs under the centerpiece Poverty Alleviation Program.
Their testimonies were highlighted in a video shared recently by Gov. Santiago B. Cane Jr., who is now on his third term.
The province’s USAD program was aided by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), who tapped the academe to conduct a research project way back in 2016.
“[The research] identified gaps in the available science-based information about rubber production systems suited to the climate and soils in Agusan del Sur,” according to Prof. Chengrong Chen from Griffith University who led the research team.
“Working closely with local partners—particularly the provincial government—a 5-year project was developed with a focus on land management and diversification of rubber-based production systems,” Chen was quoted in ACIAR’s website.
Jessielyn Calderon, a banana farmer from Barangay Tagabase in Esperanza, said that the additional income from her farm is now funding her grandchildren’s education.
Jollybien Rufon, who grows cacao, now makes tableya products and earns between ₱5,000 and P10,000 per order as his products gain popularity in the market.
Avelino Pedroso, a farmer from Barangay Milagros in Esperanza, produces vermicompost fertilizers and can now supply 500 sacks of fertilizer.
“Before, it was just a sideline, but now my earnings from it are bigger,” he said. “With a smaller capital, I’m earning more,” he explained, emphasizing the significance of the technology taught to him by the USAD program.
Irish Damarillos, a single mother from Barangay Anahawan in the town of Sibagat, said she has overcome financial struggles after increasing her livestock from nine to 22 pigs. “I’ve been able to send my children to school even though I’m raising them on my own,” she said.
Even farmer groups such as the Mahayahay Farmers Association in Sibagat have seen a significant increase in their income due to the assistance they received from the SLAD program.
“Our cash in the bank was only ₱70,000 before, but now it has grown to ₱250,000,” said Nestor Dapar, the chairman of the group, which benefited from a combined harvester and mini farm tractor.
Sheldon Mangudo from Poblacion, Bayugan City, now earns between ₱40,000 and ₱45,000 from his piggery, which funds the education of his children, too. His wife is expected to complete her college degree this year.
Cane said these programs will continue to help more farmers to succeed and thus help reduce poverty.
The provincial government has been pushing soil health development as a major component in its campaign to help farmers increase their yield.
Late last month, the province inaugurated a state-of-the-art soil research laboratory inside the government complex at the provincial capitol in Prosperidad town, which would help farmers know the right amount of nutrients for their farmlands through soil analysis.
The laboratory manned by soil experts can accommodate 50 to 100 samples a day, and results will come out two to three days later.
“But all of this will be achieved if farmers show more diligence,” the governor reminded. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)
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