The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) are collaborating to upskill rice farmers in the region and increase their yield.

“Ang half hectare noon, from 30 to 40 cavans of palay, nakakapag-produce ngayon hanggang 80 (a half hectare of rice farm that used to produce 30 to 40 cavans of unhulled rice is now able to produce 80 canvas),” TESDA-Kalinga provincial director Victor Brioso said in an interview on Saturday.

Bioso said the farm areas that produced 100 cavans of palay now churn out 130 to 140 cavans.

The TESDA-CAR and DA-CAR, through the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), started the farm schools training for rice farmers in Kalinga, the region’s rice granary, in 2019.

The training, which is under the Rice Extension Service Program (RESP) of the TESDA, provides scholarships to rice farmers who undergo a training that lasts for the whole duration of a “rice cycle”, or from planting material to milling rice.

“We stay for a day in the classroom and the rest of the days at the field for immersion and actual training. It’s like industry training. They also have modules to read at home and apply to the field,” he said.

Brioso said farmers learned the proper application of fertilizer and pesticide and its use for specific insects that damage crops, and when not to use it to retain insects that are useful to the farm.

He said they are also taught how to use and properly operate the equipment provided by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (Philmech), the government institution that provides technologies and equipment to help boost farming methods.

“The concentration of the RESP program is to be competitive in rice production,” he added.

Brioso said rice farmers are evolving from just using systems and knowledge passed on by the elders to the improved systems involving new knowledge and technologies that reduce the cost of production and increase yield.

“Because they learn the proper use of technology and fertilizer, they do not use so much fertilizer any more so they do not have to spend so much on them,” he said.

Based on the testimonies of the graduates, Brioso said farmers’ yield has doubled after getting technical knowledge while their cost was lowered as wastage was avoided.

He said the training also allows the farmers to produce seedlings for their next planting season, thus there is no need to spend on the purchase of new planting materials.

“Mas napapababa nila ang cost of production (they are able to lower the cost of production),” he added.

Brioso said these have also enticed even the males and the young people to avail of TESDA scholarships.

TESDA-CAR has allotted PHP17.2 million for this year’s rice extension service program scholarship.

It has a total of PHP185.15-million fund for the different scholarships in 2021.

Kalinga has been receiving the DA’s Gawad Saka Award for producing a huge quantity of commercial rice contributing to the requirement of the country.

Kalinga is known for its “Tabuk rice,” an aromatic, soft and quality rice variety.

Use of farming technology

TESDA-CAR regional director Dante Navarro earlier said the region aimed to start the operation of the Cordillera Schools Institute Training Education (CSITE) this year which would offer a program on information and communications technology (ICT).

A measure creating the CSITE was passed into law in 2019.

“Ngayon, sinisimulan na natin turuan ang farmers ng technologies at iba’t ibang skills. Hindi na nalalayo na darating ang panahon robotics na ang farming natin. Ito na ang industry revolution na gusto natin para mapaganda pa ng husto ang sitwasyon natin (We are already starting to train our farmers with new skills. It will not be impossible that farming will be done with robotics which is the industry revolution that we are aiming for to improve our situation),” Navarro said.

DA-CAR regional director Cameron Odsey in an earlier interview said they have a demonstration farm at the Bureau of Plant Industry compound in Guisad here which is computer operated.

“It is a partnership with South Korea that farmers can visit and see how agriculture can be done using advanced technology. This is the future of agriculture that we are aiming for,” Odsey said.