"No man is an island." This saying applies to many groups, from families, friends, and colleagues. And for the farmers of Alcala, no words have been more true until now.
The Alcala Tobacco Rice Corn Agriculture Cooperative is a cooperative initially established by 31 farmers to consolidate each member's products and to speed up the processing of requests for projects from agencies that can help members and other farmers. Their purpose is to help and assist everyone in the cooperative in their farming endeavors.
Integrated Farming and a Bright Tomorrow for Farmers
The members founded the Alcala Tobacco Rice Corn Agriculture Cooperative in May 2019 and registered it on July 11, 2019. Before, the farmers practiced mono-farming, producing a single product for their farming career. In 2022, the Alcala Tobacco Rice Corn Agriculture Cooperative joined and won the championship in the PAlay TIMPALAK competition. Since then, the members' farms produced products outside crops, such as livestock and vermicompost. Their new method promoted organic and sustainable agriculture and less on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
According to the cooperative's chairperson, Rosita E. Mendoza, she used organic fertilizers on her eggplants. Before, when using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, out of her 500 sq. meter plantation of eggplants, she only harvested five to ten kg of 'good' products. But now, with organic products, her harvest soared to 30 kg, with only two kilograms of 'bad' products. Another benefit of integrated farming is that it can work in small spaces. Crops, livestock, and compost can all come from one source.
According to Romeo M. Ocampo, a member of the Board of Directors for the cooperative, the competition was an eye-opener to the benefits of integrated farming and its improvements over mono-farming. There were more products, thus more income. Planting various vegetables in tandem with other crops allowed extra earnings within a 45 to 60-day period and could help with daily spending. In Mr. Romeo's case, who was sending his child to school, growing vegetables gave them a weekly allowance while their main crop, rice, grew for 120 days.
The More Learners, the Better
Today, the Alcala Tobacco Rice Corn Agriculture Cooperative is certified as a Learning Site for Agriculture I. More people trust the cooperative, and students flock to the learning site to learn about integrated farming. Barangay councilors and other farmers also come for advice regarding crops and how to grow them productively.
The learning site acts as a showcase in Alcala for different farming technologies, high-value crops, and livestock. The cooperative unites farmers and helps them progress in life and improve agricultural projects.
The Uniting Power of Integrated Farming
From 31 members, the cooperative has gone up to 121 members, and they hope more farmers from Alcala will join. They rely on each other's trust and support to reach their goals and maintain the cooperative. The Alcala Tobacco Rice Corn Agriculture Cooperative is a testament to how productivity increases when people strive to work together for a united goal.
"Sa pagtatatag ng kooperatiba, sakripisyo lang po ang kailangan. Kagaya po ng kooperatiba namin, noong magsisimula palang po kami, wala naman pong tiwala yung mga ibang miyembro sa amin. Ang laki po talagang tulong na ginawa ng PAlay TIMPALAK sa amin, dahil hanggang ngayon, at tsaka sa Learning Site, dumami po talaga yung mga nagtitiwala mga tao sa amin."
("When establishing this cooperative, sacrifice is all you need. Like our cooperative, some members did not trust us when we started. PAlay TIMAPALAK helped us immensely, as well as the Learning Site because until now, more people believe in what we are doing.")
The Alcala Tobacco Rice Corn Agriculture Cooperative exemplifies the benefits of farmers working together and practicing integrated farming. Besides the potential profit among individual farmers, integrated farming also benefits the community that relies on fresh and high-valued produce, as well as the environment, through promoting organic agriculture. The cooperative is an opportunity for farmers to collaborate, and the results benefit not only one but many Filipinos.
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