In the continuous pursuit of uplifting the lives of our farmers in the Region through the introduction of modern agricultural tools for better farming decisions, a 1-day briefing and interview for the Rice Crop Manager Advisory Services (RCMAS) was conducted to the rice farmers in Baroy, Lanao del Norte on April 11, 2024.
The RCMAS is a digital agriculture service that provides farmers with information geared towards increasing productivity and profitability through targeted integrated nutrient and crop management. Through a guided questionnaire, farmers are asked about their farming activities and practices which include the type of fertilizers applied, their quantity, and the time of application. They are also asked about their recent yield from the previous cropping season, the variety used, and the source of their seeds. RCMAS generates site-specific recommendations to be used by the farmers as a guide for the upcoming planting season. The generated recommendation includes the targeted yield of the farmers in the upcoming cropping season on June 2024 along with EAT Right - right Element, right Amount, and Timing of application for fertilizers used. It shall also be noted that the recommendation can only be used once, and shall not be used in other farm lots besides the lot tilled by the farmer during the interview.
“Thank you for this activity, for correcting me with the wrong practices that I do. I have personally realized that I have been applying fertilizers too much and applying it during the wrong growth stage of the crop. I will definitely follow this recommendation in the next cropping season to really see its difference,” a participant said.
Thirty rice farmers participated during the activity, with a total of 35 RCM recommendations being generated. ATI-RTC X RCMAS Focal person, Ms. Marylie P. Monteroyo-Suralta, along with the Municipal Agriculture Office of Baroy headed by OIC Municipal Agriculturist, Ms. Julia T. Calahat, is positive that the farmers, with the guidance of the agricultural extension workers in Baroy, will be guided with the recommendations given to them.
