Β
Despite being a retired provincial agriculturist, Ms. Imelda Inieto, 68 years old, is still striving to inspire her co-farmers through training activities that they can use to upscale not just the profit of her students and co-farmers, but also their mindset and efficient practices in farming using new and efficient technologies.
SOWING THE SEEDS OF CHANGE
After retiring as the Provincial Agriculturist of Bataan, Ms. Inieto started her journey in establishing Greenhaven Farm using the 4,000 sqm. of land that her husband inherited from his parents. Her deep affection towards agriculture truly testifies her will to start a new life in farming and farm school.
Who would have thought that from being a provincial agriculturist, she will start promoting a farm school in her own backyard that will help the farmers in her community by inputting new and efficient practices and knowledge? Truly, her devotion in agriculture and public service is aging like fine wine.
Her dedication led her to uplifting the lives of the farmers in the community. It also led to a mission to start calibrating the minds and actions of the farmers to keep up with the more economically challenging farming industry in the Philippines.
NOTHING GROWS IN ISOLATION
When asked how the Greenhaven Farm became a Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA), she stated that it was with the help of the Agricultural Training Institute β Regional Training Center III (ATI-RTC III).
After being certified as an LSA, Ms. Inieto began her new mission which is to start the Farmers Field School (FFS) which enables the farmers to learn various farming machineries and technologies, as well as practices that can help them cope with the ever-changing ways of farming.
As a testament of her hard work, the Greenhaven Farm produced a total of 329 graduates from different batches of Training on Production of High-Quality Inbred Rice and Seeds, and Farm Mechanization by Rice Competitiveness and Enhancement Fund (RCEF) since 2020.
HER MISSION
One of the challenges that the Greenhaven Farm encountered is the willingness of the farmers to undergo training that will enable their knowledge and practices to progress. With that, it became clear to Ms. Inieto to push hard and show to her students that through trainings, they will be able to improve their current practices in rice farming.
βNo matter how much you know, there is so much to learn,β she blurted.
Ms. Inieto believed that no matter how much you know, there is so much to learn that is why she did not stop to navigate her knowledge and resources to help her students in achieving a good life. In fact, learnings do not stop, sometimes, you need people to push your limit and achieve a better life standing. Just like what the former Provincial Agriculturist did, she did not stop giving free training activities and she continued her service by entertaining all queries and monitoring the whereabouts of her former students to be informed on the current status of their farms.
βAdvocacy ko, kahit na bagamat ako nga ay retired [na], hindi pa naman ako expired, still I want to inspire yung mga magsasaka,β she added.
The Bataan native strives to continue her good work by providing excellent and quality farm school for the rice farmers in the province. Age and status did not hinder the good heart of Ms. Inieto to uplift the standard of living of the farmers in their community.
HARVESTING THE FRUITS OF DEDICATION
No amount of money can equalize the learnings and experiences we can have in developing our lives. Ms. Inieto shared that her students are now striving for their lives carrying the lessons and new practices in rice farming in their own farms.
The reason behind that is the quality of teaching and modules that the Greenhaven Farm has been using and implementing. As a trainer, she applied the learnings she had from the training activities of ATI-RTC III. According to Mr. Roberto Dela Rosa, former student of Greenhaven farm, he learned so much about the new and effective rice farming practices such as land preparation and proper water management. It did not stop there, after learning those things, he applied it on his farm which resulted from high yield of palay every harvesting season.
Also, it became an opportunity for the students and farmers to start calibrating their farming practices to have a sufficient source of income.
INSPIRE THEM AND ASPIRE FOR THEM
βPara sa mga kababaihan na akala nila ang pagsasaka ay panglalaki lang, dito sa FFS [Farmers Field School], napatunayan natin na malaki ang magagawa ng mga kababaihan,β said Ms. Inieto.
It was shown that Ms. Inieto served as a catalyst for change as she conquered the world of farming and became an instrument of success of her students.
She also encouraged her co-farmers and women in agriculture to start embracing the new practices in rice farming for it to become sustainable. With this, the farm cooperators from different municipalities in Bataan started advocating her words of wisdom.
Ms. Inieto was also delighted to have the ATI-RTC III at her back as they became the instrument of their learning process and success in farm school. She added that without the help of the agency, she cannot extend her hands to the farmers of her local community.
Story by:
