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MMSU delivers quality extension output in partnership with DAR

By Reynaldo E. Andres
Contributor 

Batac CITY—The Extension Directorate of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) has been doing an excellent job in transferring various rice production technologies among farmers in major rice producing areas of Ilocos Norte, thus, becoming instrumental in increasing the rice buffer stock in the province. 

These areas, located in the towns of Pagudpud, Dumalneg, Vintar, Laoag City, Burgos and Bangui, were identified as Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) with various existing Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs).

In a need assessment and design assessment (NADA) survey conducted by MMSU and DAR, farmers in these areas are already into farming since childhood, but their production yield was still way below the optimum harvest. Thus, the MMSU had put up a project on intensified rice production through the provision of Common Service Facility (CSF) that was proposed by DAR Provincial Office to establish a sustainable agri-based enterprises of the ARBOs. 

“The project was successful,” said Dr. Marivic M. Alimbuyuguen, former MMSU extension director who spearheaded the delivery of extension services prior to her designation as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), as she narrated how the project has been successfully undertaken.

“What we did was to conduct a NADA to evaluate or determine the feasibility of the project in terms of professional services and CSF to be provided so that these will benefit a critical number of ARBs and if the ARBOs have the capacity to manage the enterprise,” she said. 

Records show that although rice is the major agricultural commodity produced by these farmers, still they cannot reach the optimum productivity from their rice farming, because of production gap, and lack of technical, financial, social, and marketing assistance. 

Dr. Alimbuyuguen said that farmers’ assistance came with the introduction of modern rice technologies and innovative schemes such as the use of hybrid varieties and balance fertilization to reduce yield losses due to pests and diseases. These approaches to crop production have increased the yields of farmers in these areas.

Some of the major problems experienced by farmers which were given solution were the following:

1.    The high production cost of chemical inputs, labor, and transportation. Most of the farmers practice intensified cash-crop production by applying greater amounts of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides in addition to irrigation. 

In vegetable production, for instance, large amounts of inorganic fertilizer are usually applied in sweet pepper, garlic, and tomato. Some farmers used combinations of organic and inorganic inputs from which higher yields are obtained compared with using traditional farming practices. But only few farmers use biological fertilizers and other biological materials for pest control. 

2.    High cost of labor and farm equipment. In rice production, farmers are often faced with problems on the high cost of labor and farm equipment such as those used in plowing and harrowing. These equipment are necessary to ease and lower labor cost for higher profit and quality produce. 

3.    Lack of capital which is compounded by the lack of lending institutions that cater to capital needs of small-scale farmers. If ever these institutions are present, high interest rates and numerous paper works hinder the farmers from availing of their services. The absence of government subsidy or lack of government support to make farm inputs more affordable worsens the problem.

Findings on the need assessment show that the ARBOs have well-structured organization but their by-laws are not annually updated. Members and officers are committed and dedicated to their roles, but not all have financial loan portfolio from formal institutions.  For those with productive or mobility loan, the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) serves as their credit source. 

All the ARBOs consider the operation of a CSF as a potential agri-enterprise they can manage, in addition to their consumers’ and credit service through production loan that they are now operating.  There are also ARBOs that identified palay buying and vegetable and fruit production as potential agri-enterprises they can engaged into.  The identified hindrance to engaging in agri-enterprise is the lack of capital. They believe that they can generate 20-25% return on investment (ROI) within six months at the least and 1-2 years utmost.  Rice is easy to dispose, but the middlemen control and dictate the price of the commodity. 

“It is an accepted fact that low levels of technology adoption cannot be totally explained by the problems mentioned above,” Dr. Alimbuyuguen said adding that low adoption of technology is also blamed on the irrational farmer behavior. This condition is often brought forth by the consequence of conflict between the technology available to the farmers and the limitation within which the farmer must or does operate.

Such limitations maybe caused by a series of factors such as: a) risk and uncertainty due to climatic or price variation; b) lack of ability to cope with large variations in income; c) lack of knowledge resources and capital, and  d) soil and climatic conditions unsuited to the particular technology or production system.

With the interventions of MMSU and the DAR, some of these problems were immediately resolved and farmers are now enjoying full assistance by the MMSU and DAR. The DAR led in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and is mandated to lead in the implementation of agrarian reform and sustainable rural development in the countryside through land tenure improvement and provision of integrated development services to landless farmers, farm-workers, small landowner-cultivators, and the delivery of other agrarian services.

Armed with its mandate and vision, the MMSU and DAR are currently strengthening the delivery of support services to the farmers with an intervention that will intensify production in rice farming communities through the provision of CSF.  The project has already established a sustainable agri-based enterprises of the ARBOs. 

As a long-term project, it involves both material and human resources.  Earlier on, proposals on interventions to address the concerns of providing professional services and CSF to ARBOs were developed by MMSU and DAR which emanated from the articulated production, post-harvest, and processing needs of the ARBO. 


It is expected that through the provision of professional services with CSF, the project will continue to increase farmers’ productivity and income, develop the capacity of the ARBOs in operating and managing profitable enterprises, and to improve their recording systems. Thus, ultimately lead to the reduction of poverty among ARBs and other small farmers. 

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