In the stretch of rice paddies in the municipality of Alfonso Lista, Ifugao lies an individual who wears multiple hats with unwavering dedication - meet Ms. Kathryn T. Baroga.
More than just a rice farmer, she assumes roles as a trainer, facilitator, and a certified seed grower, embodying a deep commitment to her craft. Her journey is one of growth and cultivation, where the seeds of knowledge she sowed have flourished into abundant yields.
Despite holding a degree in BS Physical Therapy, she still decided to immerse herself in the realm of agriculture. To her, farming is not just a mere livelihood but a legacy to live. At an early age, she saw the potentials in rice farming and its ability to sustain her family’s needs. This motivated her join various learning courses that would benefit her and her rice paddies which paved her way to become an adept mentor in the field of agriculture.
“Participating in trainings greatly benefitted me ta nagadayo jay kursok iti ar aramidek tatta, ejay ak nga naka adal nga talaga ta na I apply ko ejay talon ko dagiti naadal ko, ta ti ammuk lang idi ket nu tyempo ti pinag a-apit en. (Participating to trainings greatly helped me in my farming journey for I am not a graduate of agriculture, through the trainings attended I was able to benchmark various innovations which I am now applying in my own farm).”
Her learning process
Due to some painful and unexpected happening in their family, in 2020 she was forced to take over the operation of their 5 hectarage rice farm. It is in this year where she started her journey as a seed grower. Through farming she was able to provide the basic needs of her family and afford the educational expenses of her two children.
Recognizing her limited knowledge and skills in farming she eagerly searched for various learning course that would capacitate her.
In 2020, she participated in the Farmer Field School (FFS) on the production of high-quality inbred rice, seed certification, and farm mechanization conducted by Jacob’s Farm, a Learning Site for Agriculture of the Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Training Institute- Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-ATI-RTC-CAR) and an accredited farm school of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao.
A year after she was given the opportunity to join in the Training of Trainers on production of high-quality inbred rice, seed certification, and farm mechanization conducted by the ATI-CAR, through the two-learning course, she gained profound understanding and obtained hands-on skills relating to rice production. Also, it equipped her with a holistic understanding of producing high-quality inbred rice, seed certification procedures, and farm mechanization methods. The knowledge gained empowered her to contribute to the advancement of agricultural practices and the overall improvement of rice farming systems.
New avenue of learning and knowledge enhancement opened for her when she had the privilege of attending the Rice Specialist Training Course organized by PhilRice-Isabela. This specialized course focuses on equipping participants with advanced technical and decision-making skills related to rice and rice-based production technologies. The training program also prepares them to become resource persons and facilitators for various RCEF training programs.
Revolutionizing Rice Farming
The training helped her recognized that some of her practices in rice production needs to be corrected. She mentioned that there is a substantial reduction in their seeding rate, dropping from 120 kilograms to 40 kilograms per hectare.
Often, they usually follow closely spaced planting believing that a higher number of planted seedlings would yield greater harvests. “Ti ammu mi gamin ket nu ad adu ti imula nga puon ket ad adu met ton ti apiten (Before, what we believed is that if you have planted a higher seedling means you will produce higher yield).”
However, after the training, she came to understand that the practice done leads to fewer tillers due to intensified competition for resources like fertilizer and sunlight. Such spacing encourages conditions favorable for insect population growth.
“Dati ket uray al aldawan wennu kapudpudotan t panawen ket ag apply kami ladta ti abono, saan mi nga ammu nga nalaka gayam nga mapukaw ti abono nu napudot ti panawen (Before, we apply fertilizers in the afternoon without realizing that fertilizers applied in daylight evaporates).” Rice plant need essential elements to grow and meet its potential yield but when using excessive fertilizer can contribute to environmental pollution because fertilizers that volatilize accumulates at the atmosphere that will contribute to global warming.
Kathryn also affirms the accuracy of the recommendation of Key check number five which is on average, approximately 4,000 liters of water must be provided (through rainfall and/or irrigation) to a rice field in order to yield 1 kilogram of rice. However, with effective field management, the requirement can be reduced to around 2,600 liters of water. Upon implementation, she noticed that her crops thrive even during periods when her field doesn't have a continuous water supply.
With the high cost of inputs, particularly fertilizers, she was very relieved that she learned the application of Leaf Color Chart (LCC). Recognizing the crucial role of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in rice production, she emphasized the significance of split application of N fertilizer throughout the growth period of rice to adequately supply the crop's nitrogen requirements on its critical growth stages. She highlighted that the use of LCC guarantees the right amount of nitrogen, consequently preventing the excessive application of nitrogen and subsequently reducing the expenses on fertilizer inputs.
Incorporating all the knowledge she gained and the good practices she has been practicing, Kathryn confidently shared that her crop yield has shown a consistent increase, averaging between 15 to 20 bags per hectare.
Empowering farmers as a trainer and facilitator
Driven by her enthusiasm to help her fellow farmers, she assumes role as trainer at J and E Integrated Farm and serve as a facilitator at Bayawon’s Farm. Dedicating some time for farmers is a sense of fulfillment for she was able assist her fellow farmers and was able to change their perspectives as regard to modernized type of farming.
“Siyempre kas maysa nga trainer ken facilitator ket narigat met ta ado ti questions dagiti farmers, ken mejo close minded da pailang kadagita machineries nga ma ininovate. Ngem with all dedication ket epadas tayo ladta nga ipaawat kenyada nga nasayaat dagiti mayat nga epekto na no e embrace tayo dagiti technologies nga umumay. Ta babaen iti dagitoy ket mapalag an ti trabaho iti pagtalonan ("Being a trainer and facilitator is challenging especially when we are questioned by our fellow farmers, and some of them tend to be resistant to innovative machinery. But with dedication, I try conveying the positive outcomes if we embrace the technologies being innovated. Because through these, we can make the work on fields easily."
It's not easy to change from our accustomed practices, particularly in farming. The familiarity and comfort it bring makes us resist change. “Sometimes we need to over emphasize our point for them to believe on what we are teaching” she quoted.
In assisting our fellow farmers, a close supervision is needed and in introducing a new technology it is better to have a techno-demo in comparison to their usual practice. For her, being a trainer and facilitator in a Farmer Field School is not only a way to give back to the community but also an opportunity for personal development, positive impact, and the joy of witnessing the growth of both farmers and yourselves.
“Learning is a continuous journey that never ends. Hands-on exercises are the best strategy to impart knowledge. Embrace the opportunity to engage actively in farming, as this will make us understand deeper on the things we do. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, for they are part of the process. Mistakes served as my steppingstones that guided me towards improvement. Through these errors, we gain insights that prevent us from repeating them in the future” she concluded.// Esjay Zausa and Jaypee Na-oy
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