Farmer training program aims to improve productivity and
livelihood of over 20,000 farmers in the country
Farmers gather at one of the SMART demo farms of Monsanto
Philippines. The company’s SMART Farm program offers a 2-3 day training in a
demo farm, providing farmer participants both lectures and hands-on workshops
on how to sustainably plant corn.
Monsanto Philippines launched this month a nationwide
farmer training program, dubbed SMART Farm, meant to teach smallholder corn
growers across the country best farm management practices and the latest corn
planting technologies. In its first year, the program targets to reach out to
over 20,000 farmers in different corn regions in the Philippines.
SMART Farm’s Center Of Excellence Lead John Fajardo said
that smallholder farmers, who make up around 80 per cent of all farmers in the
country, are often challenged with rural isolation and limited agronomic
know-how, which limit their potential for increased productivity and
profitability.
Monsanto Philippines established 16 SMART Farms across the
country where 2-3 days of both lectures and hands-on workshops will be
conducted each planting season. These demo farms also serve as a shop where
farmers can buy high-yielding and disease-resistant corn seed products at
competitive prices.
The training will be first conducted in Bugallon,
Pangasinan. It will be followed by a series of trainings in other corn growing
regions such as Tarlac, Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Occidental
Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Capiz and Iloilo.
Monsanto’s Corporate Engagement Lead Charina Garrido-Ocampo
believes that supporting farmers also translates to the growth of the local
agriculture sector. “For almost 50 years, Monsanto has been supporting local
agriculture by bringing a broad range of solutions to our farmers. Through this
program, we aim to further sustain the productivity of the sector and improve
the profitability of the livelihoods of our smallholder farmers,” said
Ocampo.
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