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07, The More The Merrier – P1B From DA Supportive Of 10 Bataan Model Farms Leading PH Agriculture

Very optimistic – and excited – was Secretary of Agriculture William Dar after visiting 2 model 1-ha farms in the villages of Daang Bago and San Simon in the town of Dinalupihan, Bataan, Friday, 19 February 2021. He said in the DA news release “Bataan Model Farms Demonstrate Future Of Philippine Agriculture” (20 February 2021):

I am thrilled to have seen the progress of this rice-high-value crops diversification system evolving in the Municipality of Dinalupihan. We were here when the idea was being conceived in 2019 and now it has really started its journey, its development.

As an agriculturist and a communicator for development in the last 45 years, I know:

That it is all markedly historical for the Philippines. The cropping calls for rice in the wet season, and high-value crops (vegetables) in the dry season, with fertigation (fertilization via irrigation). And the technology-setup is replicated 10 times in the same municipality.

(I don’t know why, but 60-year old foreign-funded IRRI and 35-year-old PH-funded PhilRice have advocated neitherhigh-value crops after rice norfertigation, when these technologies are notthat new.)

The initiative is officially called the “1Bataan Agriculture Innovation and Technology Center (AITC).” About iBataan, ANN says[1] (“Bataan Standing Tall And Proud,” League Magazine) Bataan Governor Albert Garcia says, “That is the call for everyone to unite, to work together, to create a better province for everyone.”

So, it is 1Bataan that is bringing us the IATC farms, a Daang Bago (New Road) to a new PH Agriculture – with technology from Israel. Mr Dar says:

That’s the way it should be for new technologies to be properly introduced, tested, piloted and the learning and experience that we are getting from this important project will really lead and give Bataan the leadership in terms of crop diversification in this country.

This is a public-private partnership in the productive & profitable application of technologies:

The 1Bataan AITC, a Public-Private Partnership between the Provincial Government of Bataan and Agrilever Israel, envisions to help small farm holders achieve prosperity, attract the youth in agriculture, and allow the youth to lead in innovation and excellence. It also aims to create stimulating and well-paid jobs for professionals in the region, attract investors into the value chain, and stimulate cost-effective funding while mitigating lenders’ risks.

The 1Bataan AITC partnership is aimed at attracting not only youth to agriculture but also professionals, investors and moneylenders.

I am sure it will succeed.

Dinalupihan Mayor Angela Garcia said the AITC will be replicated in at least 100 hectares of clustered small rice farms in Bataan during the dry season period of October 2021 to March 2022. She noted that more Bataan farmers are now interested in planting high-value crops and fertigation.

Is the DA sincere in singing praise to the AITC in Bataan? Yes. This can be seen in the announcement by Mr Dar that the DA has allocated almost P1 billion in terms of farm inputs and farmer support projects for the province.

To good be the glory!@


[1]https://leaguemagazineonline.com/2019/01/bataan-standing-tall-and-proud/

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