DAR launches rice block farming in Bohol
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) recently launched rice block farming at Calatrava, Carmen in the province of Bohol to boost the palay production in the area by consolidating their lands and giving them the chance to manage their lands collectively in order to produce more.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Officer-in-Charge Eddie Manginsay said the recipients of the program are 50 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) who are members of the Calatrava Farmers Association. He said out of 50 ARBS, 10 will be the demo cooperators who will cultivate an area of six hectares.
He said the initiative is part of the major crop-based block farm productivity enhancement project under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) project of the DAR.
“Considering that individual ARBs own only small pieces of lands, block farming will allow the farmers to make their areas become contiguous, which will eventually increase their crop yield and boost the cooperative’s rice production,” Manginsay said.
He noted that CRFPS is geared toward the goal of building the resiliency of agrarian reform communities nationwide to enhance and sustain the agricultural productivity of farmers’ organizations, by increasing their yield and income to uplift the lives of its members.
The DAR is also eyeing the expansion of the block farming program to other crops like corn aside from sugarcane.