The Department of Agriculture (DA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with private firm Corteva Agriscience in a bid to boost the country’s rice and corn productivity.
The collaboration focuses on three projects – Rice EduFarm, Corn EduFarm, and Fall Armyworm Mitigation.
EduFarms will provide farmers with season-long, on-field and in-classroom training that will cover land and seed preparation; seed-applied technology and farm mechanization; planting density; weed control and nutrient management; insect and disease control; harvesting and processing; as well as marketing and financial management.
Rice and corn smallholder farmers from across 40 municipalities will benefit from 80 EduFarms and 800 TechnoFarms.
Rice and corn smallholder farmers from across 40 municipalities will benefit from 80 EduFarms and 800 TechnoFarms covering a total of 50,000 hectares that will serve as educational training facilities across the Philippines.
The project aims to improve Filipino farmers’ rice and corn productivity and profitability through access to agronomic education as well as new seed and crop protection technologies.
“Across Asia, Corteva Agriscience’s focus is on enabling smallholder farmers to produce more and help put food on every table. We are also playing our part in supporting nations to achieve their food security and self-sufficiency goals,” said Farra Siregar, managing director, Asean, at Corteva Agriscience.
“Corteva’s vision in shaping the future of agriculture by providing better access to agronomic education as well as seed and crop protection technologies to Filipino farmers will help them to flourish and better contribute to the success of this nation’s economy,” she added.
EduFarms starts in November 2019 with lead farmers expected to graduate in May 2020.
The DA will be calling for progressive farmers in eligible municipalities to participate in the EduFarms, which will start in November 2019, with lead farmers expected to graduate in May 2020.
Corteva Agriscience is a publicly-traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry — including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability.