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MOFAMCI, recipient of the Vermicomposting Center project, which was granted by BIARSP amounting to Php 26,000.00, has afforded counterpart funds for labor and construction costing to Php 15,000.00 .

Although the ARBs have individual farm cultivation thru the CARP, they agreed to have a 1,000 square meters from one of the farmer’s land area. The agreement was to have a communal demonstration farm for Vermicomposting Center and vegetable garden under usufruct agreement with the cooperative for this laudable purpose.

As a result, they also applied their understanding of how a sustainable farming system works in their respective farm. Every day they look at ways to improve their integrated farming methods to achieve highest quality products.

To make sensible use of the farm area, farmers were utilizing farmwaste through Vermicomposting, NFST inputs through fermentation of indigenous material. Fortunately, the LGU of Toledo City through the Department of Agriculture with the organic fertilizer called BIO-N were also supplied to the farmers. They are now enjoying the result in adopting sustainable agricultural technology and serious advocates of the safe and cheap farming system.

Finally, the MOFAMCI farmers are looking forward that the result of their demonstration farm, as well as their individual cultivation with a very minimal farm input cost, and the initial successes in organic/natural farming will eventually spread to other farmers and interested individuals . MOFAMCI is a showcase of an economical and environment-friendly farming system.

The farmers in these two ARCs were also assisted by the Belgian government through the Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Programme (BIARSP).

In 2005, BIARSP has approved and funded series of lecture-seminars and relevant training consistent with sustainable food production in ARC-MBP and ARC-CCD.

One of the projects, identified by MOFAMCI was the proposed Vermicomposting Center project. It was approved and the project was funded under the Comprehensive Rural Entrepreneurial Academy (CREA).

It was a challenge taken by agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Toledo City to produce healthy crops with ecologically sound environmental and good farming practices.

In 1999, two agrarian reform communities (ARCs) were launched in barangays Carmen, Canlumampao and Dumlog (ARC- CCD), and the other in barangays Media Once, Bunga and Poog (ARC-MBP), with a total of 485 ARBs. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the local government unit (LGU) in Toledo City have been supporting the farmers to effect the highly viable program implementation in the ARC Development Plan.

Media Visits at MOFAMCI Vermicomposting Center funded by BIARSP

Success Stories

MOFAMC farmers adopt sustainable farm technology

Gay Visitacion

The Beneficiaries Development Coordination Development (BDCD) in DAR has conducted series of natural farming systems technology (NFST) lecture –seminars promoting organic farming expertise thru PARO I Roberto Bajenting and MARO Antolio Alfar as resource persons. With the demand of organic agriculture products, the Vermiculture inputs were promoted to initially replace the high price commercialize fertilizers. DAR implementors have been encouraging the farmers to mainstream organic /natural farming technology in the process of food productivity.

CREA is another capability –building initiative of the Belgian Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Programme (BIARSP to enhance food security and productivity. The front liners of DAR and LGU were equipped to effect program implementation and ensure its sustainability as well.

MOFAMCI with 118 ARBs approved the Vermicomposting Center, with a Committee on Agriculture. To make it manageable, a farm management team was created purposely to ensure farming system development in the ARC under the supervision of MOFAMCI Chairman, Gonzalo Geonson.

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