DA-10 scales up climate-smart, resource-efficient rice farming technologies in NorMin

VALENCIA CITY, BUKIDNON — To rev up Northern Mindanao’s rice industry, the Department of Agriculture–Regional Field Office 10 (DA-10) accelerates the scaling up of climate-smart and resource-efficient rice farming technologies in the region.

Over the course of the 2026 wet cropping season, the DA-10 through its Research Division staged technology demonstration for System of Rice Intensification (SRI), Integrated Rice-Duck Farming System (IRDFS), Heirloom Agro-Ecology (HAE), and OneRicePH – Expanded On-Farm Technology Demonstration (EOFTD), in Kahaponan, Valencia City, Bukidnon, in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the City Government of Valencia.

With members of the Kahaponan Valencia City Irrigators Association (KVCIA) tapped as farmer-cooperators, the techno demo was capped with a Farmers’ Field Day on September 23, where the DA, rice farmers and technology developers engaged in technical discussion and farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange.

The techno demo is grounded on the goal of establishing site-specific rice farming technology promoting efficient use of farmers’ resources for optimal farm production.

The activity also sought to engage farmers in integrative rice farming technology by integrating rice-duck farming with SRI, allowing efficient water management, better weed and pest control and improved soil aeration for healthier soil and rice plant, while diversifying farmers’ income.

According to Maridith A. Flores, DA-10 Senior Science Research Specialist, the said technologies are being scaled up across Region 10 to support efforts to increase farmers’ yields, reduce production costs, and promote the appropriate use of fertilizers. The agrotechnologies also include practices intended to help farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions.

A key activity during the field day was the on-site Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) for the OneRicePH EOFTD. The activity allowed participants to observe and assess the performance of four rice varieties being showcased in the techno demo: NSIC Rc 600 with Joel Duldulao as farmer-cooperator; NSIC Rc 670 with Felix Cordero as farmer-cooperator; NSIC Rc 650 with Apolonio Parone as farmer-cooperator; and NSIC Rc 622 with Joey Agbayani as farmer-cooperator.

The rice varieties were evaluated in terms of grain and crop characteristics, agronomic traits, yield potential, and other relevant attributes.

Rice farmers’ assessment showed that NSIC Rc 600 planted by Duldulao gained the highest score among the four varieties. Results of farmers’ evaluation during the PVS will serve as reference data in the selection, promotion, and utilization of rice variety found suitable for mass planting in the pilot techno demo site.

As farmer-cooperator, Duldulao expressed optimism of the OneRicePH techno demo, noting its benefit in guiding him making future farming decisions.

“Malipayon kaayo ko nga usa ko sa cooperators nga naka-experience nasad aning programa sa OneRicePH. Isip usa ka farmer, gapangita gyud ko og other way nga maka-income ko o maka-ginansiya ta kay kining panguma, business man ni ug nagpakakaaon man ta sa katawhan. Apan dapat kita sab farmers, maka-ginansiya ta. So, dako gyud kaayo ni’g ikatabang, ilabi na kay mahimo ni siya nga basis sa puhon-puhon nako nga itanom sa akong farm,” he said.

(I am very happy to be one of the cooperators who got to experience the OneRicePH program. As a farmer, I am always looking for ways to earn an income or make a profit, because farming is a business—we are feeding the people, but we farmers need to make a profit, too. This is a great help, especially since this will be my basis in deciding what to plant on my farm in the future.)

By working closely with rice technology researchers, the DA-10 continue to help Northern Mindanao rice farmers gain access to climate-adaptive and high-yielding rice varieties to cope with economic and climatic pressures impacting the region’s rice industry.# (NQA)