A person’s life is shaped by the decisions he or she makes in life. These decisions are the grains which are nurtured as dreams until these mature into seeds. Such seeds are then planted through a person’s decision to pursue his or her dreams and make these a harvest of reality. Oversimplified as it may be, this simple yet powerful statement reflects Kuyang Danny’s career as a farmer. This farmer hails from far up north, along the northernmost frontiers of the province of Kalinga in the municipality of Rizal. Bent on making his dream a reality, he made a wonderful decision decades ago that etched his name in their town’s farming history.
A graduate of a Commerce Degree, Mr. Danilo B. Manuel, more popularly known as Kuyang Danny in their neighborhood, never lost his farming connection. His relationship to agriculture runs deep having been born in a farming family. Like any farmer’s child belonging to his generation, it was their parents’ dream that their children be lifted from poverty by not following their trade as farmers. Hence, Kuyang Danny took up a degree in Commerce but something greener is in store for him. This became a lingering voice within persistently calling him back home to his agricultural heritage. After being employed for three years in the commercial business sector Danny made a decision responding to that longstanding call from his farming roots.
Kuyang Danny started with a parcel of rice field given to him as an inheritance from his parents and which fate now rests in his hands. Danny wasted no time and as he productively nurtured the crops in his farm, he also made his farm grew both in terms of area, and in farm product diversity. While rice remained his major farm product, Kuyang Danny expanded his farm turf as he added other enterprises such as the production of corn, vegetables, and other high value crops, and even agroforestry. His fellow farmers call him a “jack of all trades” because of his ability to venture into various farm enterprises and perform tasks with a high level of skill proficiency. He is often teased as the “haciendero” as he was able to exponentially expand his initial landholdings. Nonetheless, Kuyang Danny remains a humble man, walking around town in his slippers just like everybody else. Indeed, nobody, at first glance, will ever think that this man is a haciendero as his peers describe him.
Looking back at his colorful and humble beginnings, Kuyang Danny would sum it up saying “talaga nga kasat ti biyag” (that is how life really is). He added “nu di ka nga aganos, ag-gaget, ken agadal awan sabali nga namnamaem nu saan nga ‘su to metla nga ‘su (if one will not persevere, work hard, and learn then there is nothing to be expected other than the same as it was before). Success is not like instant coffee as they say and so is Kuyang Danny’s journey. Aside from perseverance and hard work, his consistent desire to learn, discover, and innovate from various farming technologies and practices ameliorated his farming system. This characteristics made his farm a showcase of modern farming integrating farm mechanization, hybridization, and strict adherence to the use of high-quality seeds. The consistent adherence to the PalayCheck System also formed the core of Danny’s rice production enterprise.
Kuyang Danny did not limit the practice of his “jack of all trades” within his farm. Both the community and the local government unit cannot help but notice how he developed his farm and his farming system. Thus, his fellow farmers regarded him with a high degree of trust and confidence. Consequently, he was often tasked to lead farmers group in their community such as the Babalag Annayuo Irrigators Association where he served as President. He also became the manager of the Babalag Multi-Purpose Cooperative. As leader of these farmers groups, Kuyang Danny initiated and became instrumental in bringing various projects to their community, through these groups. These projects include the acquisition of farm machineries, construction of irrigation and post-harvest facilities all for the welfare of the farmers in the community. As a testament to his exemplary leadership, Kuyang Danny holds the distinction of being one of the few farmers in the Philippines to represent his fellow farmers to the development and policy making bodies in their municipality as the chair of the Municipal Agriculture and Fisheries Council (MAFC) for 30 years.
After stepping down from the rigorous task of representing his fellow farmer, Danny did not close himself to the community. Instead, he opened his farm as a venue for learning for his fellow farmers and most especially to the youth who, like him before, are also aspiring to become successful farmers in their own ways. Kuyang Danny wanted to formalize this venture, hence, he approached the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center – Cordillera Administrative Region (ATI-RTC-CAR) through the Municipal Agriculture Office of Rizal to become a Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF). In response, the ATI-RTC-CAR subjected Kuyang Danny and his farm to the LSA applicant evaluation process which he successfully passed. In November 2019 Kuyang Danny’s DBM Farm became the newest addition to the list of thriving LSAs in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
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