At a young age, Jessico John “Dodong” Campos already had a passion for agriculture. He owes his love for farming to his parents who were devoted farmers. In college, he went to Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon to further boost his knowledge in farming. Finally in 1989, he finished the degree Bachelor of Science in Agriculture major in Agronomy.
Although he used to work in a Non-Government Organization (NGO) and is now the Barangay Captain of Buatong, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur, Dodong never stopped from farming.
“Aside from passion, there is money here,” says the 55-year-old father of four. “For me, this is the best business.”
Dodong utilized his almost 20-hectare area located in Sitio Caluyocan and Sitio Matanda by devoting it to rice, coconut, corn, vegetable, livestock, and poultry production. Aside from the income he gets from tilling his land, farming also became a means to share his knowledge with other farmers.
Fulfilling his dream, the organic way
Way back in 1992, Dodong and his wife Genalyn got married. A year after that, he applied to become a seed grower. After realizing that he should not only focus on one commodity, he decided to engage in livestock and poultry production. He also planted more vegetables as an additional source of income.
Apart from being a seed grower, Dodong also engaged in Nature Farming Technology System (NFTS) in 2004. He attended several farmers’ forums to widen his knowledge and improve the quality of his chemical-free produce.
In 2012, he participated the training on Organic Agriculture (OA) and organic fertilizer production conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 13 (ATI-RTC 13). This is in addition to other training activities he attended such as value chain analysis in OA and organic rice production, to name a few.
With all the knowledge he gained from the seminars, Dodong then established his Science & Technology-based Farm (STBF). The STBF is a technology-transfer strategy developed by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) to bring science-based solutions to farmers to improve their productivity and income. Through this modality, specific gaps in the practices of an MS will be identified, assessed, and improved. As an STBF cooperator, Dodong uses decomposed farm wastes and kitchen leftovers for vermicomposting to keep him from buying expensive fertilizers in the market. He prepares his own organic concoctions like Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) and Fermented Fruit Juice (FFJ) and applies them to his organic rice and vegetable farm.
When asked why organic farming, Dodong answered, “because it’s a healthier option.” He added that “Eating food applied with synthetic chemicals is like eating all the chemicals applied to it.”
His MS journey
The SanAg FITS Center was officially launched on August 24, 2008 under the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), now PCAARRD. With Dodong’s exceptional skills and contribution to agriculture in San Agustin, he was nominated as MS in 2008. However, there was no official proclamation of him as MS from PCAARRD.
The SanAg FITS Center’s continued to implement various activities under the Techno-Gabay Program (TGP). In fact, it used part of Dodong’s rice area as a demo farm for the implementation of TGP-related projects. In 2012, when the FITS was turned over to ATI, Dodong was again reconsidered as MS nominee. In 2013, the Regional Technical Working Committee (RTWC) of ATI Caraga interviewed and evaluated Dodong as MS nominee. Finally in 2014, Dodong was officially proclaimed as MS of SanAg FITS Center.
With his dedication, Dodong was awarded as one of the top 10 outstanding MS in the Caraga region during the 4th Regional TGP Summit in 2018. Moreover, he was awarded 5th outstanding MS during the first MS Summit in November 2021 held at Alameda Farm, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur.
Aside from advocating NFTS on his farm produce, Dodong is also a rice seed producer since 1993. His farm has been used for a rice varietal trial by Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Agusan and some other training related to rice. When it comes to income, Dodong can extremely attest that there is money in agriculture.
On February 28, 2022, Dodong’s Farm or the J and N Diversified Nature Farm received certification as Learning Site for Agriculture under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF)- Extension Program.
As Dodong always said that farming is the fulfillment of his dream, he also vows to be more equipped and will improve his farming practices in the future so he can share more with his fellow farmers.
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