IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ARB’s TRHOUGH
INFORMAL EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE
FARMING SYSTEMS DEMONSTRATION
Introduction
The nobility of the Agrarian Reform program is often married by its failure, in many cases, to achieve the declared goals of improving the living conditions of beneficiaries and increasing productivity in agrarian reform areas. This privately-initiated project proposed by Maria
Regina Panol Arquiza for Phase 1 launching to initially cover PAMAHIMA Agrarian Reform Community composed of Barangays Pambuhan, Matoogtoog, Hinipaan and Masalongsalong in Mercedes, Camarines Norte addresses these issues and aims to improve agricultural productivity as well as living conditions of Agrarian Reform beneficiaries. If successful, expansion to other areas will follow the general model evolved in Phase 1 with some modifications being made to suit specific conditions in a particular area. Project Components
Two major components of the project are: a) informal education and b) demonstration of sustainable farming systems. These components actually intersect since any form of technology demonstration is essentially a non-formal education. However, they are discussed separately for better understanding and appreciation of their contribution to the attainment of the goals envisioned in the project. Also, the project considers the entire family of beneficiaries including the children as the target clients. Informal Education - Centerpiece of informal education component is the establishment of a rural community library called Aklatan Sa Kostal. This library aims to provide information materials to farmers on new agricultural technology in order to better their knowledge on how to increase productivity and profitability, provide housewives with reading materials on housekeeping and budgeting, child rearing and backyard gardening and others. More importantly, the library aims to generate reading interest and habits among children of school age to let them learn how to read and/or better their reading skills. Another aspect of informal education is farmer seminar- training on recent technology development in farming systems that ensures higher productivity and sustainability. New approaches in agricultural production that minimizes the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizer will be emphasized in these seminar training programs. Aside from learning new techniques in productive agriculture, it is also the aim to broaden the outlook of farmer beneficiaries. The Aklatan sa Kostal will provide certain level of computer learning to school-age children of agrarian reform beneficiaries. The idea is not to give computer skills but simply to expose them to the new tools available in education so that they will develop greater interest and thus pursue their education more seriously and strive for greater educational attainment. Demonstration of Sustainable Farming Systems – Sustainable farming systems refers to farm operation whereby the practices used give higher-than normal profit to the farmer by using multiple cropping, low-cost high-yield technology that preserves and enhances soil productivity and provide year-round supply of food to the family. Using farms of successful beneficiaries to demonstrate what can be achieved is a more credible way of challenging other beneficiaries to improved their productivity by employing appropriate farming systems practices. With limited extension services manpower in most, if not all, agrarian reform areas, the use of demonstration farms that takes advantage of its diffusion effect provides a most efficient way of improving productivity of other farms.. Project Support
As a private initiative, the project especially its Aklatan Sa Kostal component will be supported by proponent’s family as well as donors from different sectors of the society. Locsohon Farms, owned and operated by members of Bonifacio Panol clan will serve as center of operation and nucleus of demonstration farms.
