TRANSFORMING RICE-BASED FARMS INTO FARM ENTERPRISES: A COMMUNITY-BASED DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN ILOCOS NORTE

Low income due to unstable market prices and high production costs, associated with low yield due to lack of technical know-how on latest technologies on high yielding varieties, pest & nutrient management, are the gaps in farming identified through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in Ilocos Norte. Through Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR), the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 1 (DA-RFO 1) implemented an integrated production management system in collaboration with rice-based farming communities and the Local Government Units (LGU) of Dingras and Paoay, Ilocos Norte. The 35 farmer-cooperators verified the technical and economic feasibility of improved technologies in 45.66 ha, complemented with capability-building activities, particularly in the application of effective total farm productivity and within the context of sustainable production. As a result, the productivity increased significantly in rice-rice-mungbean with 12-42% and rice-white corn production systems at 13-101% through improved production technologies particularly balanced fertilizer and pesticide use strategies. A high net income of Php61,401.89 on rice-rice-mungbean was realized. The level of knowledge of farmers and their association was enhanced by 51% and increased their adaptive capacity to 100%. The integration of research, and production to marketing services empowered rice-based farming communities resulting in the development of three vibrant enterprises that directly benefited 190 farmers, two institutional buyers, four National Government Agencies, six LGUs, and seven farmer's associations and cooperatives. With the project's results, it is recommended to scale up and scale out the project, institutionalize rice and rice-based research to production and marketing strategies, and policies on the adoption of 1) Balanced Fertilizer and Pesticide Use Strategies, 2) Use of Rapid Bio Assay Pesticide Residue (RBPR) Analysis; 3) Clustered and Consolidated production to marketing; and 4) continuously improved Production Support Services to FCAs to sustainably produced high-quality seeds of mungbean and to develop more enterprises to enhance farmer's income.