Upscaling of the Gulayan sa Palayan Project

Context and Project Objective

The Philippines Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has been partnering with East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation since 2020 to help rice farmers diversify their income. While rice is usually harvested only once or twice a year, vegetables are faster-growing crops that can be planted throughout the year, and their periodic harvests result in steadier income for farmers. Over the course of three PhilRice project phases, EWS-KT has trained nearly 4,000 farmers in vegetable production. 

This phase of the Gulayan sa Palayan at Pagnenegosyo (Integrated Vegetable and Rice Production and Business) project will focus on building the capacity of 200 rice growers in RiceBIS (Rice Business Innovations Systems) communities, particularly smallholder farmers, women, and youth, to build resilient food systems focusing on market accessibility, food safety, and nutritional security.

In general, the project seeks to increase farmers’ knowledge, change attitudes, and enhance farmers’ skills in climate-resilient farm business management, supporting the transition toward a diversified farming system anchored on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and market-oriented vegetable farming among smallholder farmers in RiceBIS communities.

Specifically, the project aims to:

• Strengthen farmer groups for market-oriented, climate-resilient, GAP-aligned, and gender-sensitive learning action
• Prepare farmers to analyze and prioritize vegetable value chain opportunities toward increasing business profitability of farmer groups and individual members
• Introduce technological, commercial, and institutional innovations in collaboration with other vegetable chain actors, and better prepare stakeholders to respond to evolving market expectations
• Develop a business plan to make use of new market opportunities
• Develop strategies for enhancing smallholder farmers’ access to agri-business development support services
• Create an avenue for seamless transfer of knowledge on rice-vegetable farming
• Ensure a sufficient year-round supply of safe-to-eat vegetables

Expected Outcomes 

• 200 key farmers (40% women, 30% young farmers) enhance their knowledge and skills in PhilGAP vegetable protocols, entrepreneurship, and sustainable farming practices, leading to a 20% increase in farm income
• 30 para-technicians coached and mentored to accelerate knowledge diffusion on vegetable farming techniques
• An additional 4,000 farmers improving their farming practices through farmer-led trainings and establishment of learning sites
• Creation of functional marketing clusters with a reliable supply base providing vegetables to local traders, consolidators, concessionaires, and institutional buyers
• At least 2 PhilGAP-certified farms established to showcase PhilGAP protocols
• 2 rice-vegetable learning sites established

EWS-KT Partners

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

Project Period

18 May 2023 – 18 May 2024

Location

Philippines: Negros Occidental and Zambales provinces