Lanao farmers expand SAAD livelihood project with peanut farming

 

To diversify their income stream, the Department of Agriculture Special Area for Agricultural Development Program – Northern Mindanao (DA-SAAD NorMin) recently trained members of Kadoldolan Farmers Association (KFA) of Linamon town and the Sustainable Agri-Integrated Farmers Association (SAIFA) of Matungao town, Lanao del Norte in peanut production.

Peanut production is deemed an expansion to the existing Integrated Livelihood Project granted by the DA-SAAD NorMin to the KFA and SAIFA.

Banking on the capacity of their members, currently both associations are engaged in producing and marketing vegetables such as okra, string beans, pechay, eggplant and white gourd as part of the effort to establish community-based agricultural enterprise in their locality.

The KFA has also started producing its trademark product, the Spicy Suka Sawsawan to pool added income for the association.

“Dako kayong amoang pasalamat sa SAAD Program sa paghatag sa amoa og mga seeds ug garden tools apil pud sa mga training para mapadaghan pa amo produksyon sa vegetable garden apil pud ning sa mani para amoa pud masulayan pagtanum dinhi sa amoang area ug mahimo kini dugang nga income para sa amoang mga farmer beneficiary,” said Hermocilla Generalao, SAIFA president.

(We are truly grateful to the SAAD Program for providing us [vegetable] seeds and garden tools, as well as training which enable us to increase our vegetable garden production, and now we get to try peanut farming in our locality as extra source of income for our farmer beneficiaries)

As bonafide beneficiary of the DA-SAAD NorMin, the KFA was granted agricultural interventions such as cattle, veterinary drugs and biologics, vegetable seeds, garden tools, organic fertilizer, technical capacity training and value-added product processing.

On the other hand, the SAIFA received abaca stripper, hybrid corn seeds, vegetable seeds, garden tools, urea, fertilizer and technical capacity training.

To advocate sustainable agriculture in low-income and isolated areas, the DA-SAAD NorMin capacitated the farmers to embrace diversified farming by producing varied locally viable products with high market potential.# (ATT)