PhilRice Magazine 2012 4Q

Magazine June/July 2011 - Vol x No x

A quarterly publication of the Philippine Rice Research Institute

ICT in rice farming IT’S ANYBODY’S BALL GAME.

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

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INSIDE: WIRED WORLD, INFOMEDIARIES, LASER LAND LEVELLING, GIS & REMOTE SENSING + MORE

2009 Binhi Agri Magazine of the Year 2007 Binhi Hall of Fame Awardee 2001 Gawad Florendo Awardee

ABOUT THE COVER

The world is witnessing an unprecedented development in Information and Communications Technolologies (ICTs). There now is a wealth of applications expected to make life easier. In this issue, we feature some ICT initiatives in the agriculture sector as well as the issues attached to them. We recognize that in ICT, the best is yet to come for the Filipino farmers and other rice stakeholders.

Hence, it is anybody’s ball game when it comes to ICTs in Philippine agriculture.

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FEATURES:

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KURU-SAKA:

ICT scaffolds for the future rice farmers

Contents green, smart rice straw as energy source - 4 Infomediaries for the uplands PhilRice goes

rice farming

;

- 4;

pushed- 6;Rice varieties for different ecosystems - 6;ICT in crop management - 8; ICT: A

weapon for mass 11;

extension in rice farming -

Wired world- 12;Banking on

knowledge-14;ICT scaffolds for the future rice farmers- 16;

Usapang magsasaka- 20;

Kuru-saka- 18;

Magtanong sa eksperto - 20;Challenges and opportunities in ICTs in agriculture: OpAPA- 22; e-solution-24;

text your bridge is

problems away- 26; the the new hope-28; forecasting rice production through satellite

earth observation-30

Pagiging magsasaka sa digital world

The editorial team encourages readers to photocopy and circulate published articles with proper acknowledgment.

Everyone is also invited to contribute articles to this magazine (600-800 words plus at least four photos/ illustrations with credits).

You may likewise suggest topics, or refer individuals and organizations engaged in rice and rice-based activities whose stories are worth featuring.

Please email: philrice_magazine@gmail.com or mail to:

THE EDITOR PhilRice Magazine Development Communication Division Philippine Rice Research Institute, Maligaya Science City of Muñoz, 3119 Nueva Ecija

MAGAZINE PHILIPPINE RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Volume 25 No.4•Oct-Dec 2012

www.philrice.gov.ph • www.pinoyrkb.com PhilRice Text Center: 0920-911-1398 Managing Editors: ALFRED FRANCO T.CABALLERO•JAIME A. MANALO IV • Contributors: PRECIOUS GLENN G. ANTALAN•KATHERINE P. BALMEO•ELLA LOIS T. BESTIL•AFT CABALLERO•CHRISTINA A. FREDILES •CHARISMA LOVE B. GADO •ANDREI B. LANUZA•MARY GRACE V. LANUZA•RONELL B. MALASA• JAIME A. MANALO IV• MARLON M. PRADO• SHEREEN P. RAZON• BABYLYN U. TIZON • Illustrations: AFT CABALLERO • Cover design: AFT CABALLERO• Design and Layout: CARLO G. DACUMOS • Circulation: CHRISTINA A. FREDILES•Consulting Editor: CONSTANTE T. 2 BRIONES• Editorial OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 4 JR. •KAREN ELOISA T. BARROGA Advisers: EUFEMIO T. No. RASCO,

PhilRice Stations: Central Experiment Station Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, 3119 Nueva Ecija•Telefax: (44)456-0112•Trunklines: (44)456-0277, -0285•0920-970-2629 (for voice calls only)•Email: prri@email.philrice.gov.ph• PhilRice Text Center: 0920-911-1398•PhilRice Agusan Basilisa, RTRomualdez, 8611 Agusan del Norte•Tel: (85) 343-0778•Tel/ Fax: 343-0768•Email: agusan@email.philrice.gov.ph•PhilRice Batac MMSU Campus, Batac City, 2906 Ilocos Norte•Tel/Fax: (77) 792-4702; 670-1867•Email: batac@email. philrice.gov.ph•PhilRice Bicol Batang, Ligao City, 4504 Albay•Cell:0918-946-7439; 0927-399-9056•PhilRice Isabela Malasin, San Mateo, 3318 Isabela•Tel: (78) 6642954, 2280•Tel/Fax: 664-2953•Email: san_mateo@email.philrice.gov.ph•PhilRice Los Baños UPLB Campus, Los Baños, 4030 Laguna•Tel: (49) 536-8620•501-1917•Email: los_banos@email.philrice.gov.ph•PhilRice Midsayap Bual Norte, Midsayap, 9410 North Cotabato•Tel: (64) 229-8178 • Tel/Fax: 229-7242•Email: midsayap@email.philrice. gov.ph•PhilRice Negros Cansilayan, Murcia, 6129 Negros Occidental•Cell:0928-5060515•Email: negros@email.philrice.gov.ph•PhilRice Field Office CMU Campus, Maramag, 8714 Bukidnon•Tel/Fax: (88)222-5744

ICT: One of the 3 legs in green and smart rice farming The 21st century is an amazing period to be in. In terms of developing new and better technologies, everything is moving faster than 10 years ago. In fact, R&D moves so fast nowadays that the technology you may have on your hand right now can be rendered obsolete next year as new tech is introduced.

Currently, PhilRice is trying to take advantage of available technology to create rice varieties with better yield and higher pest resistance, to make farming a less laborious, more efficient, and environment-friendly activity; to make better informed and quick decisions; and to communicate with farmers and stakeholders faster.

“Smart & Green Rice Farming for Food Sufficiency”—theme from the Sep 4-6 25th National Rice R&D Conference — reaffirms the Institute’s passion to harness and utilize new technologies to be able to attain food sufficiency.

PhilRice Executive Director Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco cited that “green initiatives” aim to reduce external output, particularly energy through engineering, biotechnology, and exploration and development of energy sources and inputs for and from rice-based farming and their applications. “Smart initiatives”, on the other hand, are knowledge-intensive and labor- and cost-reducing technologies, which include maximizing the use of ICT; space technology and meteorology to determine the status of rice farms, forecast and mitigate risks from disasters, and organize disaster response; and IT applications for precision farming and supply chain management. These may all seem like heavy words but let’s not forget that technology can be fun and user-friendly as well.

Take for example the initiative to create information intermediaries for utilizing current ICT to bridge information gaps between rice farmers and the latest technologies and information on rice production. By presenting rice information as interactive games to farmers’ children, they may soon realize that computers and the Internet can do so much more than seeing candid pictures of friends on a social networking site or whiling away time playing World of Warcraft. Thus, hopefully, the information they gather will be transferred to their parents and will continue to draw them to the Internet as an important source of information on rice farming.

But what exactly is “ICT”? If you think it involves computers and the Internet, you’re only partly correct. ICT is actually an umbrella term for various communications technologies and their applications. It encompasses all tools utilized for communications like radios, television, computers, the internet, network technologies, communications satellites, as well as the software related to the hardware.

What we must realize is that the real value of ICT is not on the tools and technologies themselves but its ability to bridge knowledge gaps by providing greater access to information in real-time to a larger number of people. Unfortunately, some people are cold to technology due to perceived complexity, or may simply think “I’m too old for that” or that it’s “too expensive” without considering the long-term benefits. New agriculture technologies are often difficult to adopt in the Philippines because of reservations and skepticism, but PhilRice realizes that technological change is a major driving force for increasing agricultural productivity and promoting agricultural development.

On the other hand, while there is a strong consensus on the grand possibilities ICTs have to offer in transforming the agricultural landscape, there is also a need to note that ICTs are no magic wand that can cast a desirable spell on all concerns in the rice farm. After the last bullet has been fired, so to speak, it is all about finding out what works, online or offline, when it comes to delivering agricultural information to those who need it.

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

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News PhilRice goes green, smart rice farming Welcoming new challenges and opportunities, PhilRice is now sowing the seeds for what it calls green and smart rice farming.

“We are losing control over what we eat.

Food security is threatened. Food is less

“Green farming is anchored on three main goals”, says Dr. Manuel Jose C. Regalado, acting deputy executive director (DED) for research. These are developing alternative fuels and other energy sources for farm mechanization, improving energy resourceuse efficiency in rice production, and life cycle analysis of rice production and postproduction systems.

The Rice Academy will have R&D components, with the former actively searching for precision agriculture systems adaptable to Philippine conditions. The development component will find ways to speedily and massively promote technologies bearing in mind the need to provide contextspecific solutions to farmers’ most pressing concerns.

PhilRice has lined up research projects that would emancipate farmers from heavy dependence on fossil fuels. Rasco explained this is a serious concern as aside from the rapidly decreasing supply, fossil-fuel based energy sources are main culprits to increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.

Ultimately, green and smart farming strategies are geared toward enticing young individuals to farm, making rice farmers richer, providing knowledge-intensive and hard labor-reducing technologies, realizing mechanized, biotech-and ICT-based rice sector, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and making the entire Philippine rice sector globally competitive. // Jaime A. Manalo IV

Recently, PhilRice signed an agreement with ENERTIME, a French company, for the project Use of rice straw as fuel to generate electricity using organic rankine cycle technology in the Philippines.

ON FIELD. PhilRice scientists Drs. Roel R. Suralta (left) and Manuel Jose C. Regalado (right) showcasing smart and green technologies in rice farming.

diverse and less nutritious,” said PhilRice Executive Director Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr during the Sep 4-6 25th National Rice R&D Conference in Nueva Ecija.

Rasco explained the socio-political dynamics affecting food security, stressing that the bottomline is for the new food systems to be localized, diverse, and sustainable.

Green and smart rice farming strategies are keys toward achieving said goals.

Green farming is concerned about how energy is used and produced in/from rice agriculuture. Smart farming, on the other hand, pretty much speaks for itself—how to do rice farming smartly.

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OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

Overall, green farming pushes research on varieties, machines, cropping systems, as well as other crops like nipa to improve energy supply and production in and for the rice farm.

Smart rice farming will complement green farming strategies. Smart farming has three legs: biotechnology, information technologies, and engineering.

To help realize said goals, PhilRice sets an eye on putting up the “Rice Academy”, with the aim of propelling research and training programs for 21st century rice farming.

“We aim to prepare our farmers for the opportunities and challenges in rice farming as we do have a rather unique farming environment now,” said Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang, acting DED for development. Quilang hopes that climate change and other rice farming woes would not get in the way of achieving food sufficiency.

Rice straw as energy source project inked PhilRice recently signed an agreement with ENERTIME, a France-based company, to assess the feasibility of using rice straw for power generation, which could help farmers reduce production cost.

“The cost of petroleum is increasing.

MORE FROM RICE BIOMASS. PhilRice is working on a research to optimize rice straw as energy source.

So it’s important to develop a new energy system that will serve as an alternative to the non-renewable, highly centralized, and non-diversified system. The exact opposite of that is what we’d like to do. That means utilizing local sources of energy,” Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., PhilRice executive director, said.

The Philippines was cited as producing 15.2 million tons of rice that leave behind 11.3 million tons of rice straw a year. After harvest, farmers usually burn rice straw in the open field, causing air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide.

To minimize the postharvest waste, the two-year collaboration will explore the possibility of collecting, transporting, and conditioning rice straw to be used as feedstock or raw material in generating electricity.

The initiative, a part of the project Use of Rice Straw as Fuel to Generate Electricity Using Organic Rankine Cycle Technology in the Philippines, will cover Nueva Ecija and Laguna. About 10,000 tons of rice straw per year is targeted to be acquired from these major rice-producing provinces.

Under the agreement, ENERTIME, a specialist on energy production using renewable resources, will finance the feasibility study once funds are granted by the French Economic Ministry’s Fund for Studies and Private Sector Support Program.

Escudero

Sebastian

PhilRice will always remember SALVADOR H. ESCUDERO III and ROBERTO S. SEBASTIAN, who have gone to their eternal rest. They once served as Secretary of Agriculture and ex-officio Chair of the PhilRice Board of Trustees.

PHOTONEWS

Montejo endorses PhilRice manual DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo receives a copy of PhilRice’s newest publication—DNA fingerprinting in hybrid rice: Its applications in varietal purity testing-- from PhilRice’s Genetic Resources Division head Loida M. Perez. The manual consolidates the “most basic laboratory procedures, including practical notes in addressing issues on hybrid rice seed purity using molecular marker tools”. The manual is a must-read for researchers and seed technologists working on hybrid rice seed quality and purity.

ENERTIME will also assess the biomass supply, estimate power plant cost, and help find project investors. PhilRice, on the other hand, will provide rice production data and technical support in collecting and transporting rice straw, contracting rice straw supply, organizing site visits, and validating sites feasible for biomass energy production.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and UP Los Baños (UPLB) are also part of this project. IRRI will lead the study on biomass supply organization and greenhouse

gas mitigation analysis while UPLB will collect power plant site data and layout for the project.

A 2010 study titled, Energy and Food System, concluded that “as the inputs needed to support yields increase, agriculture is becoming more dependent on fossil fuels…. Renewable energy will play an important role in increasing the energy efficiency of agriculture and reducing its reliance on fossil resources.” // Mary Grace V. Lanuza OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

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News Infomediaries for the uplands pushed In the CPRSouth7 and CPRafrica Conference held early September in Mauritius, participating PhilRice communication researcher Jaime A. Manalo IV has underscored the need to train infomediaries in the uplands, where food

Dubai. CPRSouth7 and CPRafrica envision to train intellectuals in communication policy research. This year, 30 researchers including Manalo received funding to participate in the highly selective conference.

Dr. Sangamitra Ramachander, discussant from the University of Oxford, recognized Manalo’s research saying that it is a must before implementing a full-blown ICT project. Ramachander also appreciated that some empirical data were presented in the “ICTs in agriculture” session as opposed to the rather abstract discussions on the subject during the early days of the conference.

strong focus on ICTs in the classroom for young individuals to bridge digital, especially information, divide. The infomediary research is already pilot-testing the campaign in three high schools in the Philippines (see related story on page 28).

Elsewhere, Manalo’s methods particularly making use of a time transect and mobility mapping were characterized in i-Hub blog as somewhat new approaches in extracting information. I-hub is an open space for technologists and innovators based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Conference participants expressed interest to see more compelling evidence on the impact of ICTs in agriculture during next year’s CPR Conference in India. //The Web Team

Rice varieties for different ecosystems CPRafrica/CPRSouth7. PhilRice’s Jaime A. Manalo IV argues on the importance of pushing for infomediaries in the uplands.

production efforts are often made futile by hostile nature.

Infomediaries are people who facilitate access to information. The PhilRice research, which Manalo presented in the conference, stressed the importance of mobilizing high school students to perform infomediary roles.

Manalo’s presentation was well received by the other participants, mostly young ICT for development researchers, and policy regulators and scholars from Asia and Africa. This year’s conference was hosted

by Research ICT Africa and the University of Mauritius, which is 6-7 hours by plane from 6

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

During his presentation, Manalo showed sample text messages from high schoolers to the PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center. “These text messages send a strong signal that the strategy can work,” Manalo said.

Meanwhile, a participant from Africa said there was an effort to mobilize elementary pupils on an almost same capacity as infomediaries, although not in agriculture. The project met little success. On the other hand, similar efforts among 16-24 year olds, nearer Manalo’s focus age group, in Brazil seem to be doing well.

A research in Indonesia recommended

The National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), formerly known as Philippine Seed Board, has thus far approved 225 rice varieties for commercial cultivation in irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, upland, cool-elevated, and saline-prone ecosystems.

Six are pure line selection from traditional rices.

For irrigated lowland, 109 varieties are available, of which 65 are inbred, and the rest are hybrids. According to the Food Staples Sufficiency Program optimizing productivity in irrigated areas means better chance for the Philippines to achieve self-sufficiency in rice. The DA targets 50,000 ha for hybrid cultivation in 2013. Meanwhile, 26 varieties are available for farmers in rainfed lowland areas.

Challenging environments

Seven varieties are for the uplands, where the poorest of poor farmers are said to live. With the Upland Rice Development Program (URDP), better attention will be paid to increasing productivity in these areas. The Philippines has more than 100,000 ha for upland farming.

For saline-prone areas are 17 varieties, and 6 for cool-elevated farms.

Germplasm accessions

“Farmers have more varieties to choose from now than a few years back. Rice breeders are continuously searching for traits that would satisfy farmers,” says PhilRice Genetic Resources Division head Loida M. Perez.

The genebank houses more than 5,000 accessions or materials that may be used for breeding activities. Some 88% of the materials ready for breeding activities are from the Philippines. The rest are from other countries

colored grains when milled, lowering its overall quality and thus affecting market price.

Protect your field, use clean seeds — weed expert

Arroyo says there are rice fields in Dingle that record as high as 50%-80% infestation.

At least 8 towns in the province, comprising irrigated and rainfed rice areas, are affected by this weed infestation including Barotac Nuevo, Dumangas, and Pototan. Literature estimates a 50%-60% grain yield loss where 35% of a crop is composed of weedy rice plants.

“Use clean seeds to protect your field from weedy rice,” says PhilRice crop protection expert Edwin Martin.

Weedy rice, which is a species of rice (Oryza sativa) that produces fewer grains per plant than cultivated rice, is a serious threat to direct-seeded rice and a problem weed in parts of the United States, South America, and Asia. Its origin is quite unclear but it is believed to be natural hybrids of cultivated rice and wild rice species.

“Though it looks like cultivated rice, it is a form of weed because it competes with rice and reduces crop yield as its grains mature earlier and shatter readily,” says Martin.

or have unknown origins. The germplasm collections consist of 2,205 traditional varieties, while the rest are either improved varieties or breeding lines. //Jaime A. Manalo IV

Martin advises farmers to use clean seeds from known sources or certified seeds to avoid weedy rice infestation.

Corazon Arroyo, manager of Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center

(WESVIARC), says weedy rice was first sighted in Dingle, Iloilo in the late 90s during the conduct of a collaborative project with PhilRice.

Weedy rice could be easily distinguished from rice because it usually grows taller than the latter, has awns, and produces red-

The use of certified seeds, Martin says, helps lessen the population of weedy rice on infested fields and ensures better harvest by improving rice yields by 10%.

Thorough land preparation, manual weeding or roguing, and cleaning of farm machines used in infested fields and increased farmer awareness are also necessary to effectively combat and prevent weedy rice seeds from being introduced to uncontaminated fields, he said.// Shereen P. Razon OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

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News PhilRice Negros to produce more hybrid seeds

PhilRice Negros will widen its hybrid rice seed production area in response to Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala’s request during his station visit on September 11.

Branch manager Leo C. Javier said DA is targeting 1,000 ha to be planted to hybrid in the Visayas and Mindanao starting this year until 2013 as strategy to help the country achieve rice self-sufficiency.

“These main islands are tapped to produce the seeds of newly commercialized hybrid rice varieties, Mestiso 19 (NSIC Rc202H) and Mestiso 20 (Rc204H), which will be planted in 50,000 ha rice farms across the country in 2013,” he said.

With Alcala’s request, Javier said the station’s 61-ha seed production area may be devoted to hybrid rice while inbred seed production could be contracted out.

“Through contract out, the landowner will produce the required seeds and shoulder the production and harvest expenses. PhilRice will dry, clean, and bag the seeds; and pay the landowner with the commercial palay price,” Javier said.

Expansion could also be done through renting rice farms, requiring PhilRice to cover production expenses and labor.

Responding to the request of DA-Regional 8

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

Field Unit VI (RFU VI), PhilRice Negros also contracted 8 ha of nearby farms to produce high-quality seeds of newly released and climate change ready rice varieties.

Javier said the region will buy the seeds to be distributed to seed growers and farmers in irrigated and adverse environments.

Meanwhile, the DA secretary requested RFU VI to provide PhilRice Negros with 38-hp tractor and rice combine harvester. Earlier, Alcala approved the release of PhP10M for the concreting of a farm-to-market road that connects the station to Bacolod City.

Together with PhilRice executive director Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., Alcala surveyed the crop stand of traditional and aromatic rice varieties and conventionally and organically grown hybrids and inbreds.

Prior to his visit to the station, Alcala and his team were in Bago City to launch the Three Cropping Rice project, Cash for Work program, and turn-over ceremonies. // Babylyn U.Tizon

PHOTONEWS

Dawe in rice policy forum Renowned Food and Agriculture Organization economist, David Dawe, was one of the guest speakers in the September 26 Policy seminar on Philippine trade policies and rice security: future directions which talked about the implications of current trade policies in rice on our bid for national rice self-sufficiency and food security. Dawe compared the competitiveness of the Philippine rice economy vis-à-vis other Southeast Asian nations and discussed how it could benefit from strategies such as pushing for mechanization, effective labor cost cutting, and decreasing rice per capita consumption. Dawe has been doing policy analysis and research on Asian and world rice economies for more than 15 years. // Shereen P. Razon

FEATURES

ICT in Crop Management :

Hi-tech ways to advance rice farming MYRIAM G. LAYAOEN

T

into useful practices in the fastest, easihe famous theorist est, and most competent way possible. The Marshall Mcluhan development of the Nutrient Manager for Rice once said, “As (NMRice), laser land leveling, and Resisttechnology ance and Integrated Management in the advances, it reverses Philippines (RIMPhil) model are among the many testaments that ICT can work for crop the characteristics of every management. situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age Managing nutrients of do-it-yourself.� with ease

Rice researchers are integrating crucial components of crop management into modern ICT facilities to transform rice farming knowledge

NMRice is a decision support tool that provides customized fertilizer guidelines for small-scale rice farmers or extension work-

ers, developed in 2006 by IRRI, PhilRice, and UPLB. NMRice has three versions: NMRiceWeb (through the Internet), NMRiceApp (through a smartphone), and NMRiceMobile (through cellphone call).

If through the Internet, users must visit the site webapps.irri.org/nm/ph, download the application to an Android-supported smartphone, or call 2378 using a Globe SIM to use the NMRiceMobile. Farmers then input information about their rice field by responding to questions that include planting method, field size, location, stage of the growing season, and typical yields. Quick fertilizer OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

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recommendations are then given through text or print-ready page. If needed and possible, an extension worker is sent to assist the farmer in using the application.

With simple questions and recommendations, “NMRice is a reliable instrument for farmers to assess their fertilizer needs. It is easy to access and use for as long as you have a phone or internet-ready computer,” said Rowena Castillo, associate scientist of IRRI. As with any other innovation, however, farmers hesitate using the application. Maria Eda Apple Suplido, IRRI assistant scientist, notes “some farmers, especially the older ones, were at first hard to convince.”

Internet connectivity is also an issue. “We are trying to develop a new version using an HTML format to integrate the mobile and web-based applications. This will enable the user to enter necessary information while offline, save them, and send when internet becomes available,” Castillo added.

NMRice does not promise to directly raise yield. Its use leads to more precise farming practices that contribute to lower fertilizer cost and/or increase in yield.

Enrico Salabsab, 56, of Victoria, Laguna has been using NMRice for 2 seasons now. “When I started to follow the recommendations of

PARTNERS FOR HIGH YIELD. Researchers and extension workers work hand-in-hand to help farmers appreciate the benefits of using the nutrient manager as a fertilizer diagnostic tool.

impossible. NMRice helps me so I find ways to access it,” he said.

When weeds become predictable Dr. Jesusa Beltran, a PhilRice socioeconomist, has developed a bioeconomic model, RIMPhil, to guide efficient control of weeds, particularly the annual barnyardgrass (dawa-dawa).

RIMPhil allows the evaluation of integrated

As technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of do-it-yourself.”

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NMRice, I saved 2 sacks of fertilizer while maintaining or even increasing a bit my yield.

That is a significant savings for a farmer like me,” Salabsab attested.

weed management (IWM) strategies, under a variety of circumstances, including diverse planting techniques and threats of herbicide resistance.

His children or extension workers help him access NMRice and other rice-related websites like the Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank. For as long as you are willing to learn, nothing is

“The complexity of analyzing the implications of IWM for rice production motivated us to develop the software,” Beltran explained. The tool will help farmers appreciate the practice

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

of IWM through identification of its relative costs and benefits, thus making sound decisions on herbicide use.

A study on the model indicated that a combination of chemical and non-chemical treatments provides good weed control in rice crops while maximizing long-term profits.

“The software is intended for use of researchers, extension workers, policy makers, consultants, and students to influence research outputs, promotion activities, and decisions on weed management for the benefit of farmers,” said Beltran, acknowledging that the model may be complex for farmers.

Developed in 2010, the software has yet to be disseminated or uploaded in the internet for wider use.

The greatest caveat is how to make these technologies beneficial to farmers. The use of modern ICT-based farming tools requires specific devices and/or expertise in a certain field which some, if not most, farmers do not have. Aside from hardware accessibility and technical capability, potential users should note that these technologies necessitate accuracy of information used and supplied.

The author is a senior sociologist with the Socio-economic Division of PhilRice. He has written several articles on ICT use and other sources of rice information among farmers from the major rice-producing provinces of the Philippines.

ICT:

A weapon for mass extension in rice farming

RONELL B. MALASA Initial results of the 2011-2012 RiceBased Farm Household Survey (RBFHS) conducted by PhilRice’s Socioeconomics Division have many things to say about using ICTs in extension. The survey was carried out in 33 rice-producing provinces with 2,500 respondents.

The survey says 76% of the farm households have mobile phones (79% and 70% in irrigated and non-irrigated areas). Twentyeight percent of the farmers are aware that PhilRice through its Farmers’ Text Center is providing rice information via text messages. Some farmers (10%) have availed of the text services.

A challenging observation on the results is that farmers who live far from PhilRice’s central and branch stations are far less aware (23%) of the Text Center’s services than those nearer the stations (44%). PhilRice desires to serve more of the farther-situated farmers. Ownership of personal computers is not very high at only11%, and 80% of them are from irrigated areas. However, 39% of the farm households have members who are knowledgeable in using the Internet.

Farmers (15%) are also aware that

PhilRice provides information through the Internet but only 3% of them had accessed the website of the then Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture.

Farmers recognize their co-farmers (68%) and agricultural technologists (ATs) [47%] as their main sources of The survey says 76% of the farm households have mobile phones (79% and 70% in irrigated and non-irrigated areas).

information. Likewise, 70% of the farmers surveyed appreciate the efforts of the ATs in regularly visiting them.

The RBFHS data can lead to several directions as far as providing information to farmers is concerned. For one, it suggests that a mix of online and offline means of imparting information remains as the most effective combination. The face-to-face transaction is favored over the mediated approach. But ICTs can indeed make a difference in extension. PhilRice should continue

creating awareness of its ICT platforms particularly the Text Center. The Institute should continue training farmer-leaders and ATs on using ICTs since they remain as key information sources of the multitude of farmers. Household members who are not directly into farming but know how to use the Internet must be tapped. These individuals can very well facilitate access to rice farming information in their respective households. The Institute can also refer ATs to other possible networks to obtain rice information.

Encouraging farmers and ATs to be proactive in feeding back information to researchers through the Text Center, is in the right direction. This way, researchers can respond to their concerns – real-time or near real-time. The Institute should also continue feeding farmers with information that significantly impact their rice production such as weather updates. Through their sense of corporate social responsibility, major service providers of cell phones and the Internet can help disseminate rice information to farmers and elevate rice awareness among the public. Creating a PhilRice database or a farmer registration system will also expedite providing information to farmers or giving feedback to ATs and other government agencies.

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FEATURES

WIRED

W

RLD

SHEREEN P. RAZON and KATHERINE P. BALMEO

T

There’s no doubt about it, the agri world is wired!

From traditional media such as print, radio, and TV, to contemporary technologies such as cell phones, digital cameras, internet, cloud computing, tracking mechanisms, and geographical information systems, ICTs offer solutions that could make farming a little less back-breaking and a little more urbane.

farmers away from unscrupulous traders— for now, at least (http://www.esoko.com/) .

Community Knowledge Worker (CKW) Program

Esoko

Need buyers? Mobile internet is the way to go! With Esoko, farmers may share, view, and manage market information straight from their cell phones. Upon registration, members get real-time text alerts from buyers and sellers on their product needs and contact details. It is fast, reliable, and keeps small 12

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

Smartphones are helping poor farmers in Uganda. Grameen Foundation’s CKW Program uses smartphone applications and human networks called “trusted intermediaries”.

These intermediaries are rural community members who are selected, recruited, and trained to provide poor farmers with relevant and timely agricultural information gleaned from a digital database containing more than 35,000 real-time agri tips! (http://www.ckw. applab.org/section/index).

M-Pesa

Farmers may now send and receive money without the usual hassle. M-Pesa is a revolutionary mobile phone service that allows farmers and businesses to pay for anything or send money without needing cash, a bank account, or even a permanent address. A project of mobile phone giant Vodafone and Kenya’s Safaricom, registered users may transfer between 100 Kenyan shillings (US$ 1.5) and 35,000 K Sh (US$ 530) via text message to their intended recipient anytime, anywhere (http://www.vodacom.co.tz/ vodacom-m-pesa) .

SOLARIS (Soil and Land Resource Information System)

Dubbed as the possible answer to Bangladeshi farmers’ persistent fertilizer problems, the government created SOLARIS, a tool designed to analyze soil and land information including fertilizer recommendations, soil health maintenance, environmental hazard mapping, and proper land zoning. Farmers also get to browse through SOLARIS’ massive database of soil information covering 640 locations in Bangladesh (http:// www.cegisbd.com/dataIT_div.htm).

Weather Channel

With the harsh reality of climate change, farmers need constant and timely weather updates to help them manage their crops successfully.

Weather Channel features customizable local weather apps which allow farmers access to soil moisture conditions, precipitation reports, forecasts, and wind speed and direction.

Back in the Philippines, there is an ongoing emergence of ICT offering potential groundwork for agricultural modernization. ICT-based tools and services are being developed and made available to increase farmers’ productivity and income, and to attain advancement and competitiveness in the world market (http:// itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-weather-channel/ id295646461?mt:8).

YieldCheck

In our country where 2 billion text messages are sent every day and a little less than 30 million citizens are registered on Facebook, ICT is a wise investment that the public and private sectors could not just ignore.

Want to know how much yield to expect from planting, say, an ear of corn? Precision Planting Inc’s YieldCheck app can do that and more. Aside from calculating and storing yield estimates, YieldCheck also allows users to organize estimates based on clients, farm, and field condition. Using their iPhone TM, iPad, or iPod Touch, farmers can navigate the location of all their estimates on a map with satellite imagery. With YieldCheck, growers can see just how much varying seeding rates can mean to their operation (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yieldcheck/ id455760235?mt=8).

Farm Manager

Record-keeping goes digital! Farm Manager is an app that allows farmers to record cropping, livestock, and machinery procedures; and access this information anytime they want using their smartphones. Users can record full history of crops from sowing through harvesting; record chemical and fertilizer use, including type, rate, and date applied; and keep track of machinery maintenance (http:// itunes.apple.com/us/app/farm-manager/ id433835168?mt=8).

ATI

The DA’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has been leading the delivery of electronic extension (e-extension) services and providing support components. ATI’s ICT-extensions include Farmers Contact Center (FCC) and E-Learning.

The FCC component enables farmers to hear and learn about agri-related concerns using voice call, short messaging service (SMS), emails, and other online communication platforms. The E-learning component offers free courses on production and management of crops, livestock and poultry, fisheries, social technology, etc. It is also a source of technological kits and resources (http://ati.da.gov.ph/ ).

Sky is the Limit

In our country where 2 billion text messages are sent every day and a little less than 30 million Filipinos are registered on Facebook, ICT is a wise investment that the public and private sectors could not just ignore. Whether it be the farmers themselves, agricultural extension workers, or youth who will be the target users of such technologies, the sky is the limit for anyone who has the guts to think, act, and innovate on possible ICT interventions that can be adapted to existing local farming conditions.

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

13

FEATURES Knowledge that once took an entire library to house can now be accessed through one click of a mouse.

BANKING ON KNOWLEDGE ALFRED FRANCO T. CABALLERO

S

tatistics contend that extension grounded on research and development accounts for 40% of any increase in rice production. R&D and extension deal with knowledge available from many sources in vast amounts. All that is needed is a way to manage all this knowledge so that they are easily stored, retrieved, and shared.

search for and find information. How a fellow would make sense of the deluge of information is another matter. Knowledge that once took an entire library to house can now be accessed through one click of a mouse. Knowledge has become cheap and accessible and this development extends to the agriculture sector.

Developed to enrich and enhance the activities extension workers do in the field, it provided science-based information in interactive and simple formats that could jack up their credibility and value for and among farmers.

This is where websites like the Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank (PRKB) come in. The The PRKB originated from ProRice (PROInternet has revolutionized the way people duction Technologies for RICE) in 1999 14

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

as part of a JICA project implemented by PhilRice’s DevComm Division.

During this phase, IRRI provided capacity enhancement as part of TropRice and lent software like RoboHelp. However, content generation was not sustained until 2003 when components/services /infra were gradually improved and tested under the Pinoy Farmers’ Internet (includes rice, vegetables, livestock, etc) with the start of the OpAPA project.

The PRKB was then started in 2009.

Initially, it only featured the digitized copy of the PalayCheck booklet, growing to add 352 handouts published, 89 modules (PPT presentations), 23 videos, 55 audio

clips, 37 Palayamanan handouts, and 114 photo galleries uploaded, among other contents. It had become a rich source of rice information, technology options, and learning tools for farmers. Users like Lindy Perona of Iloilo who leave feedback on the site’s message board say this, “Thank you very much for the info....you are the first one in 3 years of my search that had given me a positive feedback re this elusive variety.” The website has also evolved to facilitate interaction between sources of rice knowledge and those who are interested in it.

A two-day workshop was organized in January 2010 that signaled the takeoff of PRKB as a more effective tool for learning and sharing rice knowledge among various stakeholders.

Moving on

PRKB continued evolving, incorporating lessons and inspirations to provide its clientele with even more information. In 2011, a CD-based PRKB in English and Tagalog versions was offered. The portMany of the early “potential and intended” users of the website grossly ignored able format was distributed in areas where there is poor or nonexistent init because of technophobia or no appetite ternet connection. Through the CD, field for new technology. In the hope of increasworkers could access information and ing user-friendliness, the English handouts were translated into conversational Filipino, resources such as videos, modules, and handouts even without Internet.

Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, and Kapampangan.

This year, the Knowledge Bank, offline PRKB also evolved in terms of its layout and and online versions, is a major comdesign. Starting plain and straightforward, the ponent of the infomediary campaign (see related story on page 28). It is website in 2010 was given a new look that reflected its Filipino identity and purpose. being introduced to students so they It was also redesigned to be simple yet can easily search information on some comprehensive. The website is now of their most pressing concerns in the rice farm. PhilRice also promotes the on its fifth redesign as the impleKnowledge Bank in national and intermenters strive to provide users with a better learning experience. national exhibits in the Philippines.

Starting up The Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OpAPA) along with PhilRice’s Development Communication Division put up a website that featured the Institute’s PalayCheck System in March 2009.

Content did not improve until 2010 with the launch of the PhilRice-IRRI Rice SelfSufficiency support plan.

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

15

FEATURES

ICT SCAFFOLDS FOR THE

FUTURE RICE FARMERS MARLON M. PRADO

AGRI GAMES DEVELOPERS. University students from Cabanatuan City and Science City of Muñoz during the project briefing at PhilRice.

Learning made fun Games are not solely for having fun. For one, ICTbased interactive games are already considered as learning scaffolds- an innovative way to provide gamers not only entertainment but also education.

Adding fun to the learning process is widely recognized by scholars to be an effective strategy. Learners have fun, acquire information, and develop strategic thinking skills that they could use in solving real-world problems.

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In an article titled Learning from and through games, Philip Tan and Jessica Irish noted ICT-based games have been successful in developing immersive worlds, interactive stories, and massively multiplayer online communities for the past years. Thus, there is a huge potential for ICT-based games to be more than just mere sources of fun and become something that support learning.

PhilRice recognizes the potential of this innovative approach in conveying rice information to farmers. Hence, it is currently working with six schools in Nueva Ecija – Central Luzon State University (CLSU), College of the

Immaculate Conception (CIC), La Fortuna College, Araullo University (AU), AMA College-Cabanatuan, and Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST)—in a project Exploring potentials of ICT-based agriculture games in addressing rice production concerns in rice fields maintained by out-of-school youth Filipino farmers.

“The project explores the concept of ‘edutainment’ (education and entertainment) to motivate the future rice farmers of the country,” says Jaime A. Manalo IV, the project leader. The idea of the project grew from reports saying that young Filipinos spend an average of 20 hours on the Internet weekly, 16 hours

The project explores the concept of ‘edutainment’ (education and entertainment) to motivate the future rice farmers of the country.

“The agri games shall also promote costreducing and yield-enhancing technologies in rice farming to the young farmers,” Manalo added.

Transdisciplinary encounter This project exemplifies transdisciplinary encounter—students from computer-related studies working with ICT for development (ICT4D) professionals from PhilRice.

and showcase their skills as IT students, but also give them the chance to help the future farmers of the country.

Although armed with almost innate skills in farming, young farmers need interventions that will help them be at the top of their game.

It should be something that will teach them the nitty gritty of farming, but also one that is youthful enough so farming becomes a fulfilling venture for them.

“I want to learn new farming technologies but I want it to be fun at the same time,” said Jayson Ramos, 21, an OSY farmer from Talavera, Nueva Ecija.

The move to collaborate with the IT students is PhilRice ‘s way of recognizing that social issues cannot be resolved by just one discipline alone. This means that convergence of disciplines is needed to arrive at a more holistic solution to an issue. In ICT4D parlance, it is called ‘development informatics’.

of which are devoted to playing computer games.

“The experience will be self-fulfilling for sure,” says Louis Anthony Sangui, a senior IT student from CIC. He says the project will not only allow them to appreciate rice farming more

The use of the edutainment approach is not entirely new to PhilRice. In 2007, the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OpAPA) developed computer games for agri stakeholders in their cybercommunities.

Rat and water management, and farming terminologies were some of the themes of the games.

The present project wants to bring the idea a notch higher by making the process more participatory with the eight keychecks of the PalayCheck system as themes. The key task is for the college students to develop computer games that can also serve as training materials for the out-of-school-youth (OSY) farmers.

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

17

KURU -SAKA This new column features the farmers’ take on agriculture issues, either explicit or implicit, in the Magazine’s theme.

Featured farmers also share a part of their lives to give readers a background on how it’s like working for food.

PAGIGING

MAGSASAKA

sa Digital

World

CHARISMA LOVE B. GADO Opinyon at kuwento ni Marcelino Dizon ng Rang-ayan, Muñoz City, Nueva Ecija. Inilahad kay Charisma Love B. Gado

A

dbokasiya ko ang pagsasaka.

Di ko ito maiwaniwan kahit nakatapos na lahat ng aking anim na anak. Malaking bagay ang pagsasaka para mapakain ang palaki nang palaking populasyon. Buhat nung bata ako, kahit na nung nagtatrabaho ako sa pribado, at ngayon, 65 na ako, nagsasaka pa rin ako.

Hindi ako naniniwala na walang kita sa pagsasaka. Isa itong negosyo. Maraming nagsasabi diyan, “Saka ka nang saka, hanggang ngayon, magsasaka ka pa rin.”

Paano, hindi tama ang paggastos nila sa pagsasaka.

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OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

Ang gastusin ko sa isang ektarya ay mga P15,000 lamang, lalo na kung ako mismo ang naghahanda ng lupa. Kaya kong umani ng 150 kaban o higit pa sa isang ektarya.

Pag ibinenta mo ‘yun bilang binhi, umaabot na ng P130,000-P200,000! Di ang laki ng neto mo!

Pindutan na!

Kaming mga magsasaka, kung maaari, gusto naming malaking kikitain, konting gastusin. Kaya nung dumating ang proyektong pagtuturo ng computer sa mga magsasaka sa barangay, sumama ako kahit senior citizen na ako.

Tanda ko dapat daw ituro sa aming mga magsasaka ang paggamit nito dahil anuman ang problema sa pagbubukid, pwedeng i-klik sa computer at dun na makikita ang solusyon. Eh, sa isip ko, di maganda ‘kako.

Halos araw-araw ako nun na nasa barangay hall para gumamit ng computer.

Kasi nung bago pa ang computer,

syempre, sabik kaming mga magsasaka, nagkukumpol-kumpol kami diyan. Problema ko nung una, hindi pa ako marunong, hindi ko alam kung ano ang pipindutin at medyo malabo na ang mata. Pero kung malalaki naman ang mga letra sa computer, madaling makita.

Ang kagandahan ng computer, malaking tulong sa recording. Noong nag-aaral kami ng PalayCheck, eh di magsusulat ka habang nagsasalita ‘yung nagle-lecture. Pag isinulat mo sa papel, pwedeng mabasa o masunog.

Pero pag nilagay mo sa computer, hindi mawawala.

May mga gusto ako nung makita pero hindi ko na ma-locate sa dami ng file na papel. Pero sa computer, pag click mo, kitang-kita mo na agad ang ni-record mo.

Nung araw nagtrabaho ako sa sales, hindi sa pagmamayabang, lagi akong topnotcher ng Ayala Corporation. Nailagay pa ako sa newspaper na Manila Times, may picture ako dun. Alam mo ba ‘yung newspaper na binigay sa akin nung

araw, nabagyo, nasira! Wala na akong maipapakita na nung araw, ito ang aking achievement. Sana kung na-scan, meron pa sana.

May mga magsasakang hindi gaanong natutuhan ang paggamit ng computer.

Ako, gusto ko pang matutuhan. Ang paggamit kasi diyan parang radyo na sana maya’t maya eh, nabubuksan mo para matutuhan. Kahit nakapikit ka, alam mo na. Nakakalimutan ang paggamit. Kaya ang investment diyan ng gobyerno, parang sayang ba.

ko wala na palang pasok kung gabi.

Sumagot naman kinabukasan.

Maganda, maayos ang pagkuha ng impormasyon gamit ang cellphone. Sa PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center, nalalaman ang ibang makabagong binhi. Naging ugali ko na kasi ‘yung di inuulit ang tinanim na barayti.

Napamenos din ang gastos ko sa bukid.

Natutuhan kong kasya na ang 40 kilong binhi sa isang ektarya. Biro mo nung araw eh, 3-4 kaban ang ginagamit! Natutuhan ko rin ang hindi pagsusunog ng dayami. Hindi

magagawa mo na!

Ang mungkahi ko, tutal, halos lahat ng bahay ay may cellphone, dapat gawan ng paraan na ang Text Center ay i-introduce sa mga barangay para makakuha sila ng panibagong teknolohiya sa pagsasaka.

Hamakin mo, 3-4 years from now, 100 milyon na siguro ang mga Pilipino. Ang bukid, di naman lumuluwang, di nagbabago, lumiliit pa nga! Dapat ang gobyerno, bigyan nila kaming mga magsasaka ng motivation na alamin ang mga bagong teknolohiya sa pagbubukid.

Isa lang sa aking mga anak ang nag-aral sa probinsiya, lahat sa Manila. Sa aking pananaw lang, pagka ikaw eh maalam sa pagsasaka, hindi ka maghihirap. I-exclude lang natin ang mga kalamidad.

Marami nang mga bagong kaalaman at teknolohiya ngayon sa pagsasaka, kaya nating pataasin nang pataasin ang ani.

Halos araw-araw ako nun na nasa barangay hall para gumamit ng computer. Kasi nung bago pa ang computer, syempre, sabik kaming mga magsasaka, nagkukumpulkumpol kami diyan.

TEXT IT! Marcelino Dizon regularly sends queries to the PhilRice Text Center.

Sulit mag-text!

Naengganyo ako gumamit ng cellphone kasi nung bago pa ang computer sa barangay hall, ang dami naming mga magsasaka na gustong gumamit. Ang haba ng pila! Matatagalan kang makakuha ng impormasyon.

‘Nung may affair sa PhilRice nung 2008, nai-promote ang 700-Rice. Nagregister ako. Halos linggu- linggo ako nag-i-inquire.

Minsan eh, magte-text ako ng gabi, maalala

na kailangang dagdagan ang urea kasi pag di ka pala nagsunog ng dayami, may dagdag ka nang mga pataba sa lupa.

Ang paggamit ng cellphone para sa pagsasaka ay napakahalaga. Nakatitipid sa oras! Di ka na pupunta sa mga opisinang pwedeng pagtanungan tungkol sa agrikultura. At kung nasa bukid, pwede mo nang gawin agad ang napag-usapan niyo ng technician sa text o ang natutuhan mo sa Farmers’ Text Center. Instant! Magtext ka ngayon, may reply, ngayon din, OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

19

USAPANG MAGSASAKA

MGA BARAYTING HYBRID NA ANGKOP SA PALAYANG MAY PATUBIG SHEREEN P. RAZON

MESTISO 19

ii Rekomendado sa Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Cagayan, Davao ii ii ii ii ii

20

del Sur/ Norte, General Santos City, Bukidnon Pwede sa tag-ulan man o tag-araw Mataas umani (6.7-10.7 ton/ha) May tibay sa blast, tungro, whiteheads (WSB), YSB at BPH Mataas ang milling recovery at maganda ang bigas Tagal: 110 araw mula pamumunla

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

MESTISO 20

ii Rekomendado sa Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Cagayan,

Davao del Sur/Norte, General Santos City, Bukidnon

ii Mataas umani (6.4-11.7 ton/ha) ii May laban sa blast, sheath blight, brown planthopper, green leafhopper, at yellow at white stemborer

ii Tagal: 111 araw mula pamumunla

magtanong sa eksperto

CHRISTINA A. FREDILES

Paano kontrolin ang pinsala ng daga sa palay?

Mamili ka sa mga diskarteng nasubukan na ng mga magsasaka: may nakikiusap sa mga daga na huwag pagpiyestahan ang palay; may naglalagay ng panakot tulad ng palapa ng niyog (kunyari ay galit na cobra pero malabo ang mata ng mga daga, paano sila matatakot sa palapa?); at may nag-aatang din sa mga dyosa ng daga.

Maniwala kayo’t hindi ang isang pares ng daga at mga anak/apo nito ay kayang umabot sa 500 daga sa loob lamang ng 10 buwan. Ang babaeng daga ay naglalandi at nabubuntis 10 oras lamang pagkapanganak. Kaya, kailangang agapan ang pagsugpo ng daga bago mag-umpisa ang pag-aasawahan. Pinakamarami sila tuwing tag-lamig kaya mainam na mas pagibayuhin ang pagmamatyag sa panahong ito. Ang panahon ng pagbubuntis ng palay ay hudyat din ng pagpaparami ng daga kung kaya’t ito rin ang hinog na panahon ng pagpuksa nang sama-sama.

Ang tamang pamamahala sa daga Panatilihing malinis ang mga pilapil, kanal, at paligid ng bukid upang walang mapagtaguan ang mga daga. Makitid lang dapat ang pilapil upang hindi nila ito paglunggaan. Makatutulong din ang pagbuhos ng magkahalong putik at tubig sa lungga.

Kung ang paninira ng daga ay umaabot na ng mga 40% ng mga palayan, mainam nang gumamit ng Trap Barrier System (TBS) sa susunod na taniman. Mas mabisa ang TBS kung sabayan ang pagtatanim. Ang TBS ay pagtatanim ng palay na may bakod na plastik na nakabaon sa lupa ang laylayan, 24.5 pulgada ang taas. Bubutasan ang plastik sa gitna na maaaring pasukan ng daga. Lagyan ng bitag ang bawat butas. Apat o higit pang bitag ang kailangang ilagay. Siguraduhing may tubig ang paligid ng plastik. Ang bakod ay dapat may layong 1 metro mula sa pilapil. Ito ay tataniman ng aromatic rice variety na mauuna nang 1 buwan sa karaniwang taniman ng palay bilang pang-akit sa daga. Ang isang TBS ay sapat na sa 10 ektaryang palayan. Huwag kalimutang kolektahin araw-araw ang mga mahuhuling daga para laging handa ang bitag sa maaakit pang mga daga.

Ayon sa pag-aaral ng PhilRice, mga 2.0% lamang ang pinsala ng daga kung may TBS; mga 33% kung walang TBS.

Paggamit ng lason Lahat ng lason sa daga ay inihahalo sa kanilang pagkain. Kaya mainam magpain sa panahong gutom sila—tulad ng panahon ng paghahanda ng lupa hanggang pagtatanim.

Kung gagamit ng zinc phosphide, maglagay muna ng pain na walang lason sa loob ng 3 araw para mawili ang mga daga sa pain. Ilagay ang lason sa supot at paliguan ng mantika o bagoong upang maamoy ito ng mga daga. Maaari rin nilang dalhin ito sa kanilang mga lungga at ipakain sa kanilang mga anak. Huwag ilagay ang zinc phosphide sa lupa. Mawawalan kasi ito ng bisa kapag nahamugan.

Tandaan, ang pamantayan ng tagumpay ng pamamahala ng daga ay ang nakontrol na pinsala sa palayan at hindi ang dami ng napatay na daga. Lagi nating isaisip na matalino ang mga daga kaya dapat maging mas matalino tayo sa pagsugpo sa kanila. Hindi pwede ang kinagawian lang, kailangan ay kilalanin sila at alamin kung paano sila talunin.

- Leonardo Marquez, PhilRice Expert

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

21

FEATURES

Challenges and opportunities in ICTs in agriculture: OpAPA PRECIOUS GLENN G. ANTALAN

OpAPA’s experiences should inform and help shape present and future ICT initiatives in agriculture.

C

Considered as the first, biggest, and a multimillion peso ICT initiative in agriculture, the then Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OpAPA) has numerous things to say about how to make ICTs work (or not) on the farm.

OpAPA was a consortium of local state universities and key agencies in agriculture initiated by the India-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, International Rice Research Institute, PhilRice, and Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. According to first OpAPA director Roger F. Barroga of PhilRice, its major aims were to pilot-test and evaluate varied ICT modalities to identify the most effective and appropriate for the Philippine setting. The consortium also envisioned to build a strategic alliance among rice stakeholders.

Among OpAPA’s major initiatives were conduct of a basic ICT course for farmers, and establishment of the Pinoy Farmers’ Internet

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Portal (www.openacademy.ph), the Pinoy Farmers’ Text Center, and the Cybercommunities or computer and Internet access points located in selected remote farming communities nationwide. OpAPA was recipient of local and international awards including the 2010 Arab Gulf Program for Development.

This article highlights some of the lessons learned from OpAPA. Most of the information comes from The Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture: An innovation in accessing modern agricultural technologies book published

by PhilRice in 2009. OpAPA had already ended (2004 to 2009) and modalities found effective such as the Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank and Text Center have been institutionalized at PhilRice.

Research was deeply embedded in OpAPA’s operations. Communication research results were utilized in developing online content and services for rice stakeholders. The project saw the importance of conducting information needs assessment and technology mapping in prioritizing messages that will be useful in rice farming communities. Partnership with public and private institutions likewise proved

useful in making sure the technologies and services needed by farmers would be provided.

Social advocacy and mobilization Not naïve of the need to make key stakeholders such as farmer-leaders and local government executives aware of the ICT initiatives being espoused by the project, massive promotional activities were conducted across the country. Motorcades, agri-trade fairs, information caravans, farmers’ field days and meetings were the activities that worked in awareness-raising initiatives.

Posters and leaflets helped in promoting the Pinoy Farmers’ Internet website and the Pinoy Farmers’ Text Center. Already, the Text Center has developed a life of its own with its over 30,000 registered users. Its promotion, however, needs to be intensified as texters usually emanate from major rice-producing provinces, not much from the rather isolated areas it prefers to serve (see article on page 11).

MOBILE INTERNET BUS. OpAPA tried to bring ICTs to some of the poorest communities in the Philippines.

eas where they can be optimized especially when the infrastructure needed is available. Hence, it may not work in areas where Internet connectivity is a bit of a challenge.

MESSAGE SENT . The PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center is a texting platform for farmers.

Sending technology tips and information as push texts to numerous contact numbers seemed to have worked in increasing the number of texters to the Text Center. Additionally, the book also noted that elementary and high school students in Batac, Ilocos Norte and Negros have been assisting their parents in using the Internet and in sending text inquiries.

Challenges As most ICT4D researchers would note, infrastructure is an integral component in an e-ready society. During project implementation, some areas in the country did not have fixed telephone lines making it difficult to install even a dial-up connection. Hence, offline communication tools such as publications, CDs/DVDs were maximized. Use of inexpensive Wi-Fi radio transmitters and devices also provided opportunities for using wireless Internet technology.

Additionally, unstable Internet connectivity and/ or disrupted power supply hindered farmers and agricultural technologists from optimizing

ICTs especially conduct of e-learning and webconferencing. Experimentation on the best time to hold these activities, standby power supply, and availability of mobile phones in case of intermittent internet signal were part of the adaptation to local conditions. The paper Reflections on Online Campaign on Rice Production presented during the Philippine Extension Network Symposium in 2009 noted that webconferencing, e-learning and other internet-based extension initiatives are location-and context-specific. There are ar-

Likewise, varying levels of success among cybercommunities were noted. In Banay-Banay, Davao del Sur and in Batac City, Ilocos Norte cybercommunities were frequented by farmers, and hence can be said that they created positive impact on farmers’ lives. Others, however, were rarely visited by farmers—an issue that may be related to weak infrastructure during the time, proximity of farmers to cybercommunities, location of the kiosks as some were inside municipal halls—or something that may puzzle ICT4D scholars. Hence, it is said that access to technology does not guarantee its usage.

OpAPA’s experiences should inform and help shape present and future ICT initiatives in agriculture. Barroga says the OpAPA experience has shown that farming communities can use and manage ICT facilities, and even with basic/ rudimentary infrastructure, a single access point can become their window to the online community – where they can access information and relay these to the community through their existing social networks and community channels. He adds, however, to sustain the system, the LGUs and SCUs will need to come on board to support the farming community.

ICT LITERACY. Basic ICT courses were offered

by OpAPA to farmers.

OCT-DEC 2012, Vol. 25 No. 4

23

FEATURES

The e-solution ALFRED FRANCO T. CABALLERO

e-commerce makes life quite easy as long as one is willing and able to pay the price.

T

PhilRice can also make good use of he internet has opened e-commerce one day. Though headquartered a world of innovations 142 kilometers northeast of Manila, its and conveniences seven branch stations bring its products and services closer to all Filipinos nationwide. for today’s shoppers.

For the nearly 2.27 billion people Setting up an online online worldwide, e-commerce store makes life quite easy as long as one is willing and able to pay the PhilRice had set up its first online store price. as part of the Open Academy for Philippine

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Agriculture project. Called PalayTindahan, it was in response to a needs assessment insight that mainly targeted seed growers who needed a more convenient way to order seeds. The store’s name will eventually be changed to PhilRice Online Store to accommodate other products and the bigger market that comes with it.

The PhilRice e-commerce page, which is now being revived, has the following components:

ii The Online Catalog – displays the site’s products. This is where the clients pick their orders and as such must facilitate that leap from simply browsing to actually buying a product.

It must properly showcase the products (through pictures and video) – what it can do or how it looks and how much it costs. ii The Shopping Cart – like the grocery cart, this is the “basket” where the clients accumulate their purchases for later payment. ii Transaction Security and Payment – is where the client’s ability to pay is checked through a simple but secure verification process. The seller must offer the customer a range of payment options – including credit cards, electronic cash, and bank transfers. To provide additional security, some online payment providers require the seller to open a special bank account for online transactions. Secure Socket Layer is an online technology that can help ensure more secure transactions online. ii Order Processing - cart selections are safely stored in a database for the consumer’s review. Upon checkout, the store, with its transaction software, creates an inventory of the items and calculates the total price of the order including appropriate taxes, shipping fees, and handling fees (postage and packing, if applicable).

E-commerce starts when a client enters a merchant’s website. After picking what to buy, the client is directed to the transaction server, where all encoded data during the transaction will be encrypted. The server then sends the data through a secure gateway to a Processing Network, for approval or denial by the consumer’s issuing bank – a process which takes no longer than 7 seconds.

Currently however, only few payment gateways and systems providers exist in the Philippines.

Digital economy Global business-to-consumer e-commerce sales will pass the US$1.25 trillion mark by 2013, and the total number of Internet users will increase to approximately 3.5 billion people.

This is according to a new report by the Interactive Media in Retail Group, a U.K. online retail trade organization.

The report claims the future of e-retail is global. “Worldwide, we are increasingly seeing trust and confidence in purchasing online growing, and government and private initiatives brought in to support the development of the global digital economy.”

The Institute’s Business Development Office says the bulk of its clients for its two top-selling products – seeds and knowledge products - are seed growers and other DA- attached agencies such

as the Agricultural Training Institute and Regional Field Units. These are the clients who may potentially benefit the most from future e-commerce with PhilRice.

Are we ready?

The 2012 Digital Life study by the consumer research firm TNS revealed that although many Filipinos research online before buying a certain product, they still prefer to buy “offline”. Usually these consumers are looking for a new car (18% researching exclusively online, and 84 % doing both online and offline research prior to purchase). However, there are signs that online shopping for other products is slowly gaining ground according to the study. Holiday or travel purchases (8%) top the list, followed by computer peripherals (2%), apparel, and personal computers or laptops and tablets (1%).

The possible PhilRice e-commerce venture is transitioning right now and the team working on it has been considering a mix of online and offline mechanisms.

They are exploring collaboration with non-bank money transfer services (ML Kwarta Padala, Western Union, Smart Money, and GCash, among others) to facilitate payment in lieu of banks and the established payment gateways (PayPal etc.). If all goes well, PhilRice will be able to serve its clients better through faster and more convenient transactions all done online.

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FEATURES

TXT UR

away

PROBLEMS HAZEL V. ANTONIO

elvin Narrazid is a rice farmer in Bataraza, Palawan. He has farmed for 10 years without any technical support from rice experts given the time, money, and effort needed to reach his farm. Similarly, Cresenciano Caungz, a rice farmer in the mountainous part of Bago City, Negros Occidental, seldom receives advice for his farm problems. Going downtown to consult agricultural technologists (ATs) is a tedious and costly option for him. Thus, before acquiring a mobile phone, he did not bother asking the AT about problems that seemed minor to him.

Now, with the Text Center, I need not take risks because I can consult about my problems anytime.

But with the advent of mobile phones, particularly of the PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center, the lives of Narrazid and Caungz have changed dramatically.

Saved by a peso Caungz, positioned 31 kilometers away from the closest DA office in Bago City, spends around PhP200 to get farming information. Thus, to make the consultations more economical, he would first note down all the questions and wait until his plants looked really sick before going downtown to consult with an AT. Waiting and hoping were his only choice.

“Then came the Text Center that allowed me to immediately contact the agriculture experts whenever I have a farm concern, without having to go down the

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hill and spending at least PhP200,” Caungz said.

“I also do not need to wait for a long list of simple problems nor a single grave problem before I would consult experts,” he added.

With the Text Center, the tedious and risky problemsolving ordeal of Caungz ended in a snap. For at most a peso, solutions are on their way. With confidence he adopts the technologies recommended to him, as he knows these are from the experts.

“I still remember when I waited for my plants to turn really yellow before I consulted the ATs because I do not have money to go downtown. I just hoped that I could solve the problem based on experience but I couldn’t. I almost lost everything because of that,” Caungz recalled.

“Now, with the Text Center, I need not take risks because I can consult about my problems anytime. Thus, I do not only save on transportation cost, I also minimize the risk of having low yield,” he concluded.

Free tips In contrast, Narrazid benefited more from the Text Center through its rice tips.

“I learned that it is good to topdress 14-14-14 fertilizer, and that you should not continuously irrigate during tillering,” he said.

He explained that while the said irrigation practice along with other water management practices helped him increase yield and save on inputs, topdressing resulted in heavier grains. Overall, he estimates he got around PhP16, 000 additional income because of the tips sent by the Text Center.

Macario Vitangcol of Nueva Ecija likewise benefited from Text Center’s rice tips. With more than 20 years farming experience and having attended numerous training programs, he still learned something new from the tips sent to him. For instance, he learned of a high-yielding variety suited in their conditions.

He looked it up at the DA office, asked about its characteristics, bought it, and planted it.

During that cropping season, he achieved 20% yield increase, which consequently increased his income by as much as PhP39,000. He attributed the increase in yield to the new variety, and to the adjustments in fertilizer application he made following the reminders sent by the Text Center. His neighbor farmers’ yields remained the same.

Cheap and effective They are just 3 of the more than 26,000 registered texters in the PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center who are getting easier, faster, and cheaper access to agricultural information. Their queries are among the more than 100,000 text messages that the Text Center has responded to, enabling farmers to save on information search cost and increase their rice yield.

A 2009 PhilRice study on the economic benefits from mobile telephony noted the Text Center benefited a lot of farmers. Out of 100, it increased the input productivity of 28 farmers; provided new information to 29; and reminded 36 of certain technologies. No wonder the Text Center has an overall satisfaction rate of 93.3%, according to the study.

The Text Center is PhilRice’s remedy to the scarcity of extension workers in the country. It is a platform that answers queries of farmers, sends technology and weather updates to them, and links them to experts through text messaging. It was designed to deliver information even to the most far-flung rice areas in a very cost-efficient way. Since its start in 2004, its goal has always been to help farmers get better income through cheap, fast, and easy-to-access farming information. In fact, one of the most recent innovations of the Text Center is the Info-on-demand. To use this service, anyone can just type a keyword, send it to the Text Center number 0920-911-1398, and automated response will be generated.

For instance, if a farmer needs to know about rat management practices, s/he simply needs to type daga, and follow the instruction mentioned. There are hundreds of keywords available.

A 2010 PhilRice study on e-readiness, however, reminds that although enormous benefits can be had from ICT initiatives such as the Text Center, they can hardly approximate the faceto-face modus operandi. Farmers find more gratification in communicating with human beings than with machines.

“We will employ cutting-edge technologies to improve the features of the Text Center because we believe that farmers can benefit from it. We could just hope that more farmers would take advantage of this platform,” said Dr. Eduardo Jimmy Quilang, acting deputy executive director for development at PhilRice.

“With it, and the love of Filipinos for texting, we hope that more farmers would text their problems away,” he concluded.

AVID TEXTER. Macario Vitangcol takes a photo of his rice plant, which he sends to the PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center.

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FEATURES

THE

BRIDGE IS THE

NEW HOPE CHRISTINA A. FREDILES and PRECIOUS GLENN G. ANTALAN

W

hile the rest of the world drools over the e-everything phenomenon, it might be good to take a step back and ask if ICT initiatives were indeed serving their intended purpose.

While these are well-intentioned advances, the big questions to ask are: do farmers benefit from them? Do they widen the gap between the socalled haves and have-nots? Or, are we plain obsessed with anything new? Can we not just make better use of those that we already have?

In a 2009 PhilRice study, Assessment of E-Readiness of the five top rice-producing provinces in the Philippines, several issues relating to optimization of ICT initiatives were uncovered. Among them were computer and functional illiteracy, old age, and computer anxiety or the feeling of intimidation when infront of the computer. Given said issues, direct delivery of ICT initiatives to farmers may be challenging. There must be somebody or something in between.

The infomediary way In the same study, it was noted that farmers wanted their children to teach them how to use the computer or to access information for them. Drawing impetus from the said finding, 28

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PhilRice now pilot-tests a campaign in Aurora province—Sagot ko ang Magulang ko!: A campaign to mobilize the youth to serve as infomediaries. Infomediaries are those who facilitate access to information for those who have difficulty benefiting from it. The campaign is being conducted in the Ma. Aurora and Bayanihan National High Schools.

“We are training the students to search information for their parents,” said Jaime A. Manalo IV, campaign team lead. The campaign has three components: Read, Surf (the net), and Text.

In the Read component, reading materials on cost-reducing and yield-enhancing rice farming technologies are provided in the school

library. The materials include technology bulletins, field guides, rice operations manual, and some corporate publications of PhilRice.

“In choosing the materials, we prioritize those that will address the needs of the community.

For instance, in our campaign sites there were reports of unsynchronous planting. So we made sure there are materials promoting the benefits of synchronous planting,” said Fredierick Saludez, campaign team member.

The Surf component teaches students to search information from the Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank (www.pinoyrkb.com) that contains most of the information one has to know about rice farming in the Philippines.

“We, however, recognize that Internet access

to their questions on rice farming,” said Manalo.

Meanwhile, the field day will showcase the rice garden managed by the students. Farmers in the surrounding communities of the school will be invited to participate in the event. The culminating activity, on the other hand, will recognize some of the most participative students during the course of campaign implementation. Some of the awards that will be given are Facebooker of the Year, the most active member of the Infomediary Campaign Facebook group, and the PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center Fanatic, the most avid texter of the Text Center. All SMS of the participants are stored in a separate folder in the Text Center.

“I will relay to my parents and to other farmers what I learned here.

The Sagot ko ang magulang ko campaign is a good project because it helps farmers have access and benefit from agricultural information online,”

is a challenge in most rural areas in the Philippines. Hence, we give the schools copies of the CD (offline) version of the Knowledge Bank,” said Katherine Balmeo, IT expert and campaign team member.

Meanwhile, the Text component introduces the students to the PhilRice Farmers’ Text Center. It answers all queries about rice and rice-based farming. The Text Center has now developed a life of its own with close to 30,000 registered texters.

The students will also manage a rice garden in their school. This is expected to give them hands-on experience in rice farming. “The campaign can be a way to make farming truly a family’s enterprise. It can enable children to actively participate in making decisions for

the rice farm,” said Oliver Domingo, campaign team member.

In the pipeline The campaign has lined up a series of activities for the students. These are the infomediary quiz bee, one-day knowledge fair, field day, and a culminating activity. The quiz bee will measure the knowledge acquired by the participants from the lectures and materials provided. Using the offline version of the Knowledge Bank, the best 10 students will be invited to answer queries of the farmers during the knowledge fair.

“The hi-schoolers will serve as ‘student extensionists’. The aim is to show to farmers that the students can help them find answers

Infomediary ripples “I will relay to my parents and to other farmers what I learned here. The Sagot ko ang magulang ko campaign is a good project because it helps farmers have access and benefit from agricultural information online,” said Laira Alido, one of the participant-students from BANHS. Not decided yet on which course to enrol in college, she said she is considering agriculture as this can be an avenue of learning and sharing more agricultural information to farmers.

Meanwhile, the campaign recently received funding from the DA Regional Field Unit 12, allowing it to be replicated at Apolinario S. Bernardo Memorial National High School in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat.

“We support this campaign because we know that this will help our farmers. We are willing to continue what the campaign team has started,” said Mayor Lina Montilla of Tacurong.

Jose P. Rizal had said that the youth is the hope of the Fatherland—a cliché that may be partly realized by the youth’s role as infomediaries. ICTs put young individuals in a good position to fulfill this dream. As infomediaries, they not only help their parents, but the whole country as well in its quest for rice self-sufficiency.

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FORECASTING RICE PRODUCTION through satellite earth observation ELLA LOIS T. BESTIL

I

magine covering the highest mountain peak in the country with a single thumb. This is the basic idea of remote sensing—observing the earth and collecting data about it from a distance. Indeed true, some things, vast and wide, can be better (and quickly) viewed from a distance—by satellites floating in space.

Remote sensing technology or earth observation can be used to discriminate and map rice ecosystems for proper technology transfer and informed policy decisions. This is particularly relevant as often, policymakers fret when they tackle basic but critical questions such as precise measure of rice areas and the interventions needed to produce more for less.

Remote sensing in agriculture Anil Rai from the Indian Agricultural Statistics Institute said remote sensing offers potential economic and social benefits as it can monitor extensive areas, estimate paddy areas, and forecast agricultural production at a relatively high speed. It can focus on particular land and sea surface features of interest. These remotely sensed data can then be used as a knowledge tool to help inform and carry development interventions to the ‘right’ areas.

PhilRice has conducted research on remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) as a method to map rice areas. A rice area mapping project using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images was instituted in 2010, led by the team of agricultural engineers Dr. Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang and Mary Rose Mabalay.

An aid to policy-making

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IRRI data in 1998 disclosed that the Philippines experienced severe rice shortage, which resulted in 50% increase in local

market prices above world prices. Mabalay believes this problem could have been avoided with a reliable scheme for monitoring changes in production area, estimating cultivation intensity, and forecasting production.

Remote sensing can do these more accurately and quickly than the conventional method of surveying.

Mabalay has done some work on delineating irrigated and rainfed rice ecosystems in Central Luzon using ENVISAT Advanced SAR (ASAR) images. These ecosystems differ in irrigation sources and supplies, cropping patterns, planting dates, varieties used, and management aspects. It is necessary to delineate and map them for an efficient

Remote sensing technology or earth observation can be used to discriminate and map rice ecosystems for proper technology transfer and informed policy decisions and effective transfer of location-specific technologies,” she said.

images that provide 1-km ground resolution.

The cost per hectare per high-res image is about P34. There are low-res data, however, that can be retrieved freely from the Internet.

Indeed, this may be a welcome innovation in the field of agricultural statistics as the only available map showing this delineation was derived in 1986. It was obtained from landuse paper maps of the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), Mabalay said.

Mabalay used multi-temporal ENVISAT ASAR data with 30 meters resolution to map rice areas and estimate rice hectarage. Six ENVISAT ASAR images determined rice cultivation patterns, maximum likelihood classifications, support vector machine methods, and the Enhanced Lee filter to clarify differences in rice ecosystems. The final map produced shows the extent and distribution of irrigated and rainfed rice areas in Central Luzon.

Limitations

This integrated method she employed could be used to validate the available coverage serviceable area of the irrigation systems nationwide. The National Irrigation Administration can thus, benefit from the fast acquisition of such data to guide deployment of their irrigation projects.

A 2005 study by Chen and McNairn published in the International Journal of Remote Sensing revealed a 94% accuracy in rice crop monitoring using remote sensing. Moreover, Mabalay’s research has proven a comparable remotely sensed data on rice hectarage with that of government-reported statistics.

Decision-makers can purchase SAR images from a choice of high-resolution, which is a bit more expensive than the low-resolution

There is a limitation, though, in using remote sensing to map upland rice areas. Elevated areas produce a shadow effect that appears

to the satellite as an image of a body of water, which will be registered as a rice area.

However, Mabalay said, this is not so much of a problem. Data on upland rice areas can be obtained second-hand by first acquiring the total area of these elevated areas.

Rice mapping projects using remote sensing are often limited by infrastructure. The satellite’s life span ranges 5-10 years, but European satellites that have gone more than their optimum service span are replaced immediately.

Owing to their strengths, DA in 2010 called for the use of geospatial technologies—remote sensing, GIS—to establish a common spatial database infrastructure deployed in an enterprise GIS architecture. Through this, the entire DA network can use, analyze, manage, and share these spatial data to perform their development functions.

Under DA’s Unified and Enterprise Geospatial Information System (UEGIS) project in November 2010, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) is now also preparing itself to use the application of geospatial technologies to enhance their statistical processes and outputs.

The challenge about the technology that BAS has to hurdle is on the lack of qualified and competent technical staff to perform GIS applications, said BAS officials R. Labuguen and R. Vallesteros, Jr. There is still room for ways to fully use the potential of this technology to ultimately benefit farmers.

But, research has proven that more than anything, no matter how distant yet, there is promise.

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