Trying new ones

Farmers plant for a living but they also need to find the right crop that fits well for the land that they till. This group of farmers knowing the low yield of growing vegetables is trying to grow sweet corn. The demand for this crop is high and hopefully this new crop will give them good yield.  Good luck farmers ... 

Tagum City farmers shift to sweet corn farming 

By Prix Digna D. Banzon

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte (PNA) -- About 30 farmers in this city have shifted to planting sweet corn from their long time vegetable growing that has not been giving them good results.

City agriculture office (CAGRO) chief Engr. Harold S. Dawa said the farmers started growing sweet corn in May this year which gave significant increase in their income.

He said their office is helping the farmers grow sweet corn in Barangay Madaum even as he said they will expand the program in barangays Mankilam and Pagsabangan.

"There is a big demand for sweet corn here and also in the neighboring provinces that is why they already have a captive market," he said.

He said they will assist the farmers in looking for other planting sites, in farm inputs and in marketing.

The sweet corn production was launched here in May 2013 when the city agriculture office was looking for an alternative on vegetable farming where production was low.

According to one grower, Bonifacio Montilla who is also president of the Madaum Vegetable and Sweet Corn Farmers Association, a 1,300 square-meter lot planted to one kilo of sweet corn seedlings generates an income of P25,000 in 72 days.

Louie Lapat of the city information office said this program is in line with the revitalized goal of Mayor Allan Rellon on food security.

Lapat said the city government will be acquiring the ten-hectare lot next year that the farmers used as planting site for their use. (PNA) CTB/ASA/DDB/ldp

D Farm is a blessing to us ...

After the Sunday morning Mass today, we did a quick visit to D Farm and talk to Nong Iko, our farm man, and his wife, Manang.

The couple help us in the farm, they tend the plants and watch over hired workers during harvest time.

Life in the farm is simple and they are happy.

D Farm is very near our residence in downtown Davao City. It can be reached by car in 30 minutes.

We got to know of the property when I was preggy with our first born.  And it was love at first sight that we decided to acquire the land.

However, we were busy that time with our respective jobs and had not given it full attention.

We just leave it that way and good that we have Nong Iko and Manang to help us in D Farm.

Hubby talking to Nong Iko

I was talking to Manang here. 

But there is something in D Farm that we are happy about.

We are blessed to have acquired this.

We are blessed to have found this.

Why ? because we are able to share this blessing to others.

D Farm is in a community in Mahayahay in Tugbok, Davao City.

There are water pumping stations in this sitio and the neighboring areas that the Davao City Water District had established.  The water that is brought down to residences, business establishments, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, in downtown areas.

But the community was left waterless despite the source of the water in their place. There were negotiations with the city water district that the residents of this community tap water connections with DCWD.

The nego took some time.  It went for years. It was difficult for them because they fetch water in pails when the source is within their area and yet could not be provided connections.

If I'm not mistaken it was after 20 years that the DCWD opened a project and they considered the barangay to put up another pumping station.

The water district was scouting for an area but none of the residents agreed to have in their property a pumping station. The price was too low and yes it was too low indeed ... with a 100 pesos rate per sq. meter, as if it was just a runaway price ... it was a giveaway price.

We didn't know about this.  It took awhile but when we learned about it, without hesitation we agreed ... because what was in our mind was the opportunity that we could share to others ... this source ... that nature continue to give us. We wanted to help ... we cannot afford to leave our neighbors and the people not sharing what we have ... so this pumping station in our property.

Water pumping station

It was a happy feeling talking to people in the community and they still remember our gesture of letting DCWD put up a pumping station in the property that we own.

I forgot about it already, but this morning, an old lady brought back to us that time that they were all happy having water right in their homes, in the kitchen, in the bathrooms.

Our next step is to maximize the production of D Farm.  Projects are being planned and for implementation within the next four months.  We wanted to give jobs to people, so also we can help them. And with God's grace, we are grateful as we count our blessings each day !

Road to D Farm

Mothers turned entrepreneurs thru veggie farming

(Feature)
Mothers turned entrepreneurs thru veggie farming

PANABO CITY, Davao del Norte, July 19 (PNA) -- It started with a backyard vegetable garden but with the aid of Davao City-based non-government-organization, they became regular suppliers of vegetables in the market.

These mothers of Sitio Tagurot, Barangay Nicolas, this city decided to bond together when Baba's Foundation, Inc. (BFI) reached out to them so they could improve their farming, provided they have to organize themselves, undergo seminars on basic business operations and maintain sound financial procedures.

BFI executive director Cristera Racosalem-Epal said that although they avail of loans at minimal amount, what is important is for them to know the basics in terms of lending and repayment.

She said they need to build their credit standing as well as build trust among themselves for continuity of the project.

One mother, Anita A. Monsanto, said kinahanglan gyud ang disiplina dili lang sa pamaagi sa pagtanom ug gulay apan sa imong loan para ma mintinar ang maayong relasyon namo sa BFI nga maoy nagtabang sa amo ug sa among pagbayad sa loan. (Discipline is the key not only in vegetable planting but also with our relation to BFI that help us and with our loan repayment).

"We found these mothers going to the right direction insofar as their vegetable farming operation is concerned because of their good credit standing," she said.

She said marginalized as they are, they were able to follow the techniques that brought mark improvement in their living.

Monsanto said there was a big difference between their lives in the 90s compared now when they followed the correct farming techniques and some basic business operations.

She said that before, aside from the lack of capital to support their operation, they had difficulty in the marketing as they had to pass through layers of middle men and not getting a good price of their products.

She also said there was an improvement in their income and they were able to send their children to school and build a house and acquire some appliances and other farm implements.

With each mother occupying about a hectare lot, they maximized their production by covering all areas of planting vegetables and with the loan they sourced out from BFI, they can now employ workers of at least two during planting and harvesting. The maintenance of the farm is left to the members of the family.

These mothers also formed the Tagurot Center 1 as their bagsakan center, where they deliver their proceeds and the BFI consolidates their produce for delivery to the market.

Both the BFI and the group check the prevailing price in the market.

Emily S. Comaling, BFI technical support staff, said there was check and balance as to the prices in the market.

She said there was a minimal mark up and this would go to the group's association.

Epal said these mothers were just among their beneficiaries of Sustainable Marketing with Information Link Enterprise (SMILE) Project, a project extended to poor communities.

The SMILE kicked off in March 2008 where it organized the ASTIG (Asosasyon sa mga Tiggama). It also organized membership and identified the leaders for the market matching and linking agri products among the target beneficiaries.

Eight ASTIG units were organized in the communities of Kiotoy, San Nicolas, Malabog, Fatima, Indangan, Panunlungan and Mudiang. The ASTIG units at present are engaged in corn trading, rice trading in bulk, and buy and sell of vegetables and fruits.

She said their repayment rate was at 97 percent and borrowers payment were done weekly even as she attributed the high rate with their unique "sitdown" approach, where technical support staff engage in a one-on-one monitoring and support to those borrowers on default, come up with a doable scheme until such time that the payment becomes active.

Epal said they started with this program in 2002 with only P250,000 as initial fund window. Now they have 4,000 beneficiaries around the island of Mindanao with total fund exposure of P20 million.

Epal said the P20 million fall under their program on DREAMS (Development Resources Thru Entrepreneurship Alternative Management System). Sixty percent of the fund is dedicated to Alalayan or Alalay Sa Kabuhayan, a program for low income families.

The BFI, she said, was being supported by the Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc. (FSSI).

Miriam Azurin, advocacy officer of FSSI, said the foundation was supported by the Swiss government through fund allocation of US$ 14 million in 1995 that financed projects geared towards sustainable economic development of marginalized communities in the Philippines. In 2008 total fund accounted to US$ 81.1 million.

She said the projects that they supported through loans or grants must focus on eco-enterprise resource that carries the triple bottom lines on economic viability, social equity and ecological soundness.

As of 2008, Azurin said it had a total beneficiaries of 183 eco-enterprises both for loans and grants with total portfolio of P443 million.

She said FSSI was the recipient of the proceeds of a debt reduction agreement between the governments of the Philippines and Switzerland in 1996.

The agreement was a result of a joint lobby effort between Swiss and Philippine NGOs. (PNA) PDB