Mulanay agrarian reform beneficiaries learn Sustainable Vegetable Production

Thirty (30) agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) members of the Manggahan Marketing Association (MMA) Inc. located in Mulanay, Quezon, learned about Sustainable Vegetable Production through Climate Smart Technologies conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to help them become resilient to unpredictable climate, produce better crops and increase their profit.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Ma. Gemma Esguerra said the training was conducted under the Sustainable Livelihood Support to Disaster Affected Areas (SLSDAA) of the agency, in compliance with the directive of DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III to improve the livelihood of the farmers.

SLSDAA is under the Climate Resiliency and Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPSP) of the department geared towards building resiliency in agrarian communities through the enhancement of productivity as an adaptation measure for climate change.

“Sustainable Vegetable Production through Climate Smart Technologies extended to the members of the cooperative has equipped the farmers with knowledge and skills on climate resilient technologies with emphasis on crop diversification,” Esguerra said.

OIC-CARPO Carmencita A. Gruta said the participants underwent a series of studies regarding climate-resilient technologies with an emphasis on crop diversification for four (4) months. After each lecture, the farmers also had hands-on training to use what they learned and apply it to their farmland.

MMA Inc. also received farm machinery and equipment such as a multi-tiller and grass cutter to help speed up their farming work.

Teofilo Palmero, president of the MMA, on behalf of the ARBs, thanked the DAR-Quezon because they have learned so much from the training and would gain from Farm Machinery and Equipment (FME) provided to them, and said that they would maintain a record to compare their previous traditional method of planting with the new technology.