Gulayan sa Palayan at Pagnenegosyo sa RiceBIS Communities

Context and Project Objective

EWS-KT has been working with the Philippines Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) since 2020 to help rice farmers diversify their income. In the first phase of the collaboration, 1,784 rice farmers were trained in vegetable production, and 1,065 were trained in the second phase.

While rice can be harvested only once or twice a year, vegetables are faster-growing crops and can be planted throughout the year, with multiple harvests that result in a more steady income for farmers.

The overall aim of the Gulayan sa Palayan at Pagnenegosyo sa RiceBIS Communities (Integrated Vegetable & Rice Production and Business at Rice Business Innovations Systems Communities) project is to increase the net income of rice farmers by training them how to grow vegetables in a sustainable and profitable way. The project has three components:

• Crop diversification by training farmers in commercial production of different vegetables, anchored on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)
• Strengthening of the rice-and-vegetable cropping system
• Establishment of a product consolidation and marketing system within the communities

Project activities will include field training of farmers, Field Days, regular monitoring of farmers’ vegetable production, and facilitation of the preparation of cost and return analyses for each key farmer trained. In addition, each key farmer will be linked to at least three product consolidators and food processors to strengthen their access to markets.

Expected Outcomes 

• 100 smallholder rice farmers intensively trained in vegetable production and having better access to markets
• 1,000 smallholder rice farmers trained in vegetable production through Field Days and training events at key farmers’ demonstration fields

EWS-KT Partners

Funding partner: Philippines Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)

Project Period

1 June 2022 – 31 December 2022

Location

Philippines: Nueva Ecija and Isabela provinces