ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The province of Iloilo is among the three chosen as project area for the implementation of Better Rice Initiatives Asia-Fostering Agriculture and Rice Marketing by Improved Education and Rural Advisory Services (BRIA-FARMERS) in the Philippines.
The other provinces are in Aurora and Southern Leyte.
In a press release by the Department of Agriculture-6, Chief Advisor Mathias Radek of GIZ, said the project aims to support small holder rice farmers in increasing their income by optimizing their production techniques, marketing access and the strengthening of the whole rice value chain.
In Iloilo, six municipalities will be involved in the project, namely, leganes, Mina, oton, Pototan, Sta. Barbara and Zarraga.
Radek said the municipalities were chosen for having majority of their agricultural areas planted with rice, their yield per hectare is equal to or less than the provincial yield and there is a share of irrigated and rainfed lowlands.
“There should also be the presence of local traders in the area for marketing component,” Radek said that involved municipalities hall have a positive record in terms of good housekeeping (DILG Seal of Good Housekeeping).
Selected Agricultural Extension Workers and local farmer technicians are currently having a training in preparation for the implementation of the BRIA.
Radek said this is intended to strengthen agriculture service through the use of Adult Learning technique with modules that can be made interesting and enjoyable.
Part of the modules are topics such as farming as a business, designed for farmers to learn more about farm economics, for them to improve their farm management from an economic point of view, hence, improve their incomes.
“In the months to come, BRIA-FARMERS will have a set of trainings with new modules and establish demo-fields showing various options on how to improve rice production.
The DA and the GIZ signed a memorandum of agreement on BRIA-FARMERS last March 18 for the project to run until November of 2017.
Iloilo is Ph’s project area in rice productivity
