SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ, Nueva Ecija, (PNA) –The Aetas are now learning the latest techniques on upland rice farming through the recent establishment of an upland rice development program-farmer’s field school (URDP-FFS) in Zambales.
The Aeta community has been settling for two decades now in a relocation site in Lupang Pangako, Zambales where they learned to farm following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
The URDP-FFS seeks to teach upland farmers on latest technologies on upland rice production, improve current rice farming practices, and organize farmers so they can be assisted by funding institutions.
“We want those indigenous communities to be organized and be recognized by the government because they are usually neglected,” said Julian Macadamia, an upland rice technologist of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
The URDP-FFS has already reached other upland communities in Aurora, Bulacan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija.
The FFS sites are chosen based on the following criteria: at least one hectare flat land to 18 degrees slope; accessible to transport or walking; and with potential for soil and water improvement and management.
Existing upland rice areas in the stiff hills may be considered on a case-to-case basis.