Infanta used to be the rice granary of the
district of Quezon. At the height, however, of the Green Revolution Program of the
National Government in the 1980’s, Infanta was importing vegetables from Metro
Manila. Although farmers were producing enough rice, they were very dependent on external
inputs which consisted mainly of non-organic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. At that
time, nobody yet was looking into the environmental impact of the farming methods that
they were using.
When the concept of environmental protection was slowly introduced, ICDAI started to
conceptualize sustainable agriculture for the area. Along with other NGOs and few farmers
in the area, they established the 2-hectare demonstration farm where they can experiment
on the ways and methods of sustainable agriculture. Among the first farming method they
experimented on was the complete withdrawal of toxic chemical pesticides in the rice
cropping process.
ICDAI soon came to realize that what the farmers needed was a systematic training. They
started networking with other non-government organizations and with their support, the
Farmers Field School was established. At the Demo Farm, they learned how to think, decide,
experiment, and observe, and were encouraged to explore ideas and discover things.
Food security in the home and the community is what ICDAI had envisioned for the
communities of Infanta. With the lesser capital requirement per cropping, the standard of
living of the farmers has improved. With each farmer producing its vegetables for their
own consumption, the nutrition problem in the community has diminished. Although finding a
market for their excess produced is still a problem, each family is assured of vegetables
for their daily consumption. They are now more confident of themselves, eagerly looking
forward to a better future. ICCDAI can confidently say that they have attained what they
had envisioned for Infanta.
The Farmers Field School
At the Demo
Farm, where there is a Farmers Field School, the farmers learn how to think, decide,
experiment, observe, and are encouraged to discover things. Sharing of knowledge between
the farmers and the trainors/scientists, and application of integrated scientific and
practical knowlege were part of the course program. The United Nations Development
Programme had supported the project by providing scientists/technical men to assist in
sharing scientific information in agriculture.
The course is season long (depending on the crop/topic), learning the
process/technology through the whole cycle of the crop – from land preparation to
harvesting. The farmers spent time regularly (usually few hours once a week) at the demo
farm for months to learn, discuss and experiment things with his co-farmers and trainors.
Integrated farming, although no longer new to the farmers, is re-introduced and
discussed. One of the first subjects presented is the principle of biodiversity - that
every living thing has its role in the life cycle. They are made to experiment and learn
the process of intercropping rice with vegetables and ways to avoid using pesticides.
Raising livestock as much as they can is also a part of the program that the farmers is
taught to explore.
