IN A bid to prepare farmers for the implementation of the Community Hybrid Rice Model Farm (CHRMF) project, the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Western Visayas has conducted a four-day Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) training for 25 members of Newton Camingawan-Para (Necapa) Farmers Association in Barangay Taloc in Bago City recently.

DA-Western Visayas Rice Program's Mark Lester Gamboa, in a statement, said a hundred-hectare demonstration farm will be established in the area in June this year in time for the dry cropping season.

During the PRA training conducted from February 23 to 26, farmers involved in the project were taught how to analyze the trend analysis, wealth ranking, population and seasonal calendar for rice cultivation, among others.

The CHRMF will enable more systematic farm consolidation activities, adoption of uniform farm practices within the community, promote labor efficiency through farm mechanization, and also strengthen extension approaches with the aid of the DA attached agencies and private counterparts.

Gamboa said the CHRMF is anchored on the twin goals of the DA which is the "Masaganang Ani, Mataas na Kita."

This means that this community-based project is expected to improve the production yield performance and the income of the hybrid rice farmers, he added.

The Necapa Farmers Association has over 200 members cultivating at least 720 hectares of irrigated and rain-fed rice farms in Bago City, which is considered as the rice granary of Negros Occidental.

Its president Myrna Villa expressed gratitude to the DA for selecting their association as the project cooperator.

"We hope that we serve as inspiration to our fellow associations in taking care of the project given by the government as it will greatly help us especially during this pandemic," she added. (With reports from DA-Western Visayas)