GoOrganic! Philippines

Project Sites

The first phase of Organic FIELDS shall be conducted in six (6) cities/municipalities across the country where member organizations of the proponent have established strong presence and linkages with local government units and the farming community.

In each project site, the project team shall initiate and secure the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among the local government, non-government organizations and farmers’ organization to formalize the partnership around organic farming within their areas.  The local MOAs shall outline the partnership mechanism, the terms of reference among the various stakeholders, and the respective local workplans.

The DA and the respective local governments, particularly through the Municipal/City Agriculture Office (MAO/CAO), shall likewise initiate an agreement around area prioritization for FIELDS and a two-way knowledge-sharing which shall comprise on-farm learning experiences on the part of the local governments, and technical and technological know-how on the part of the DA. DA’s Regional Field Units and representatives from relevant agencies (e.g., BSWM, PhilRice and ATI) shall be mobilized to actively participate in this project.

Site Organizing and Partnership Building

An area organizer shall be deployed by the project for each project site.  Each organizer shall ensure the setting up of local partnerships among local government units, non-government organizations, farmers’ organizations and other agri-sector stakeholders around the Organic FIELDS program.  Memorandum of Agreements among the local partners shall be targeted. Organizing efforts shall also assist in identifying project beneficiaries and the smooth implementation of the project.

Senior Trainors Assessment Workshop

At the start of the project, trainors on sustainable farming technologies such as the system of rice intensification and on organic fertilizer production shall be convened for an assessment workshop.  The activity shall help share and synthesize knowledge and experiences gained from actual field application of both sustainable rice production system and organic fertilizer production.  A total of 50 senior trainors with representatives from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao shall be gathered.  Results of the workshop shall be used to develop training modules for the project, including training pedagogy, strategies and approaches.

Learning Farms

For each project site, rice farms measuring at least 1.0 hectare, either owned or managed by the local government or farmer initiator/s, shall be identified and designated as learning farms.  These farms shall be subdivided into two (2) farm lots at least half hectare each, planted either to full organic farming or to balanced fertilization which represent a gradual shift to full organic farming.

To be set up side-by-side or in close proximity to each other, the 2 learning farms in each municipality or city shall provide farmers with hands-on exposure and experiential learning on organic farming and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) production systems. These learning farms shall showcase the methods involved in SRI, Organic Fertilizer Production and Nature Farming.  The performance of the learning farms shall be strictly monitored as an integral to the implementation of the project. It shall be a component of project documentation and, more importantly, used for improving future interventions on organic farming by the DA.

The learning farms shall also receive full and priority support in the other FIELDS components not covered under the OFSP Phase 1. These shall include production inputs, access to credit, post-harvest facilities and irrigation.

Season-long Training on Organic Farming

To complement and further enhance the hands-on knowledge gained from the learning farms, a weekly Organic Farming Training session shall also be provided to at least one hundred (100) farmers residing within the project site.  A minimum of six hundred (600) farmer beneficiaries shall be targeted for the whole project. However, local governments may involve additional farmer participants to the project as part of the local agricultural programs being undertaken by their respective MAOs or CAOs.

Comprising sixteen (16) sessions to cover the whole dry cropping season, the season-long trainings shall be carried out over a period of four and a half (4 1/2) months.  A module shall be developed for use in all training sessions to be conducted in the various project sites.  While it shall cover topics summarized below, it will also integrate popular education/alternative adult learning methodologies to enhance the efficacy of the training sessions.  At the same time, sessions shall maximize available audio-visual materials.  Farmers enrolled in the program shall receive support for the production of organic fertilizers that shall be provided by the DA through the project.

A local training team shall be organized among sustainable agriculture and organic farming trainors from the local government and from non-government organizations.