Pangasinan-based local farmer technicians (LFTs) were trained by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) on proper crop management to help their province sustain and even improve its rice production.
PhilRice said some 30 LFTs participated in a weeklong specialized course on “pest identification, disease diagnosis and damage assessment.”
Ev P. Angeles, training coordinator of PhilRice’s technology management and services division, said LFTs are trained to help their fellow farmers in identifying, assessing and managing major pests and diseases in rice.
Angeles added it is vital to enhance the skills and capabilities of local LFTs as they are being tapped by the Department of Agriculture “to complement local agricultural extension workers in providing technical assistance to farmers.” LFTs are model farmers in farming communities, according to Angeles.
“We chose participants from major rice-producing areas of the province who need to strengthen their pest and disease diagnostic skills or those who have not undergone other intensive field diagnostic and pest management skills training,” she was quoted as saying in a statement.
“Through practical, hands-on exercises, we hoped to enhance their competence in this critical aspect of rice crop management,” she added.
From June 4 to 8, the LFTs learned principles on the following topics: integrated pest management, agroecosystems analysis and the PalayCheck system.
These topics would help the LFTs in “making more informed decisions in pest and disease management,” according to PhilRice.
Carolina Badaguas, 54, from Sual, Pangasinan, said the training taught her how to do proper weed management.
“Weeds are rampant in our area and my fellow farmers often resort to spraying generous amount of herbicide,” Badaguas was quoted in the same statement as saying. “We learned that practicing thorough land preparation is important in managing weeds, as it helps facilitate good management of water, nutrients and pests.”
Another participant, Solomon C. Ibay of Asingan, Pangasinan, said he learned the importance of getting accurate diagnosis of rice diseases.
“When we know how to identify the kind of disease that infects our field, it is easier for us to make the right decisions in implementing the needed management practices,” the 56-year-old Ibay was quoted saying. “We also learned about harmful and friendly organisms.”
Pangasinan is the country’s third top rice-producing province in 2017, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. The province produced 1.125 million metric tons of palay last year, which was 1.35 percent higher than the 1.11 MMT recorded output in 2016, PSA data showed.