Farmers trained on climate measures
FARM EQUIPMENT worth P1.35 million was handed over to an agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organization (ARBO) in Negros Occidental alongside training to help mitigate the effects of climate change on crops, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said.
The Palala Farmers Small Water Irrigation System Association (PAFA SWISA) received a rice reaper, a walk-behind transplanter, a mechanical rice thresher, a hand tractor, a bio-shredder, a 2-in-1 grass cutter, a package of technology and technical training on climate proofing, and a one-hectare demo farm.
The equipment is part of the DAR’s Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS), which aids disaster-stricken agrarian reform areas and creates an alternate livelihood for those affected by the impacts of climate change.
PAFA SWISA operates on 50 hectares of sugarcane land and 200 hectares of rice paddy in Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava.
“Our farms are now ready for calamities and we are hopeful that our livelihood will not be affected by it,” PAFA SWISA President Reynaldo Magnanao said.
The equipment will help revitalize the livelihood of farmers, enhance productivity, and encourage prospects for agribusiness development in storm-hit areas, the DAR said. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson