The City’s Agriculturist Office (CAgrO) is conducting the Farmers’ Field School (FFS) program across various districts in Davao City to equip Dabawenyo farmers with innovative and sustainable agricultural practices through hands-on field-based training.
Pablita A. Almador, Acting Division Head of CAgrO’s Farm Development and Services Division (FDSD),
underscored that the program serves as a participatory technology demonstration area where local farmers can directly discover and test effective crop management strategies.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) through the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), the free four-month program is currently holding specialized sessions on corn production in Paquibato and Marilog, alongside vegetable farming in Marilog and Calinan.
Interested farmers can join the weekly program by visiting their respective district offices, provided they demonstrate a strong willingness to learn and actively participate in group works.
Instead of traditional lectures, the field school utilizes discovery-based learning where groups compare different methods, such as the usual farmer practices, fully organic planting, and conventional hybrid ways using balanced synthetic and organic inputs.
By regularly gathering field data and tracking crop development, participants observe and evaluate which production methods yield the best results, allowing them to confidently choose the most efficient and adaptable techniques for their own farms.
“Didto sa farmers’ field school, maka-learn gyud ang mga magu-uma. Dili lang learnings sa iyang tanom, kung dili, maka-learn siya sa iyahang pag-boost bitaw sa iyang personality kay gina-encourage jud na siya didto, matag-isa sa matag-participants, naa gyud syay part sa discussion ug unsa ilang observations, whether it’s negative or positive then matag-recommendation kay dapat naay doable na recommendation, himuan jud na sya ug action (In farmers’ field school, the farmers will truly learn. It’s not just learnings about their crops, but they will also learn to boost their personality because every single participant is really encouraged to play a part in discussions regarding their observations, whether negative or positive, and for every recommendation, there must be a doable action plan created),” Almador said.
Launched last July, the four-month FFS spans 16 weeks and will culminate with the participants’ graduation in November. CIO
Written by: J. Murillo
Edited by: A. Nawal
Photo by: Davao City Agriculturist’s Office