Around 60 Farmer-Cooperators of the 100 techno demonstration areas of hybrid rice in Butuan City attended a participatory and an interactive learning approach through the Farmer’s Field School (FFS).

The Department of Agriculture – Caraga together with the Local Government Unit of Butuan City and the Rice Productivity Advocacy Incorporated (Rice Board) provided an opportunity for the farmer-cooperators to practice and test or evaluate sustainable land-use technologies and introduce new technologies by comparing their conventional practices.

In a study conducted by DA-Caraga’s Research Division, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur FFS-graduate farmers who adopt the FFS – recommended technologies improved their yield and income after the course implementation based on its initial findings.

Butuan City’s Rice Program Coordinator Nestor Fuentes in a statement attests that FFS is an effective extension approach as it adheres to the principles of “learning by doing”.

“The field is the learning place for our farmer-cooperators as they explore and educate themselves on the issues and topics that affect their livelihood” said Fuentes.

The ultimate aim of the farmers’ field school is to improve farmers’ knowledge and decision-making abilities so they can cope with pest and crop management problems on their own.

Felicita L. Bagtilay, 60 years old and a farmer-cooperator shares the importance of FFS to her as a rice farmer for 45 years.

“Participating in FFS allows me to learn more and adopt the new technologies that I need for my area. Learning never stops, because this is needed to improve our farming practices,” she said.

Further, farmer-cooperators and selected farmer leaders from Butuan City, RTR, and Buenavista, Agusan del Norte will be conducting a field visitation next month on the techno-demo areas to personally observe the hybrid technologies applied in the said areas.