By Henrylito D. Tacio
I had been to Agusan del Sur at least two times already – that was when I still worked for a non-governmental organization. Then this year, my good friend, Dr. Johnvie B. Goloran, invited me to attend the Naliyagan Festival, now in its 31st year.
I had heard about it before. Naliyagan, which literally means “the chosen one” in Manobo, is a week-long celebration that showcases the indigenous people’s culture through music and dance, native products, ethnic games, and a host of sporting tournaments and special events.
I was hesitant to go. After all, I have seen so many festivals, including the Kadayawan sa Dabaw, touted to be the mother of all festivals in Mindanao. But it all changed when I learned that there was an exclusive day for farmers, which happened on the fourth day of the festivity.
There was also a competition that would put into limelight farmers who “have potential and remarkable talents but are only deprived of the opportunities and windows to show or share it.”
I left Davao City at around 11 in the morning. Since I took the bus, it took us seven hours to reach San Francisco, Agusan del Sur. A staff member from the Provincial Office fetched us at the bus terminal and brought us to the hotel where we were billeted.
Agricultural booths
Since it was still too early to eat our dinner at the hotel, we decided to go to the town of Prosperidad, about a 30-minute travel from San Francisco. Our guide brought us to the Naliyagan Cultural Center Grounds at the Gov. D.O. Plaza Government Center, where a trade fair displayed the province’s cottage industries and agricultural products.
All 13 towns and one city have booths where products from their respective places are displayed. (Henrylito Tacio)
Agusan del Sur has a total land area of 8,966 square kilometers. The towns of Loreto, La Paz, Esperanza, and San Luis are the four largest municipalities in land area, comprising almost 60% of the province’s total land area. Santa Josefa and Talacogon, both river towns, have the smallest land area.
Actually, there are 13 towns. Those that are not mentioned above are Bunawan, Rosario, Sibagat, Trento, and Veruela. Agusan del Sur has one component city: Bayugan, considered the cutflower capital of the province.
All of them have impressive booths with creative facades. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to visit all 14 booths and stayed at least five minutes in each one. Vegetables were well represented: ampalaya, cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, gingers, squash, upo, okra, sweet peppers, string beans, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, and lettuce.
Fruits were also plentiful: banana, avocado, santol, dragon fruits, watermelon, mangoes, papaya, and jackfruits. There were also root crops like cassava, taro, and sweet potatoes. Corn and rice were also displayed. There were different colors of rice: white, red, black and yellow.
Yes, the yellow rice is the golden rice (now called malusog rice). I had been writing about golden rice even before it was approved for commercialization. Now, it was here that I finally saw the golden rice. In fact, I had the opportunity of talking with Franklin L. Ebardo, who plants golden rice in his farm in Bucac, Bayugan City.
Upland Sustainable Agri-forestry Development
Produce from the farms were displayed and being sold at the respective booths. (Henrylito Tacio)
About 697 people attended the USAD Farmers’ Day. USAD, which literally means “headway” or “moving,” is an acronym for Upland Sustainable Agri-forestry Development (USAD) Convergence Program. It is the centerpiece program of the provincial government of Agusan del Sur whose objective is to uplift the standard of living of farmers living in upland areas.
In 2021, USAD was chosen as one of the Top 10 Outstanding Local Governance Programs in the country. “This recognition is not only a testament to the hard work and strong collaboration of local government units, various government agencies and farmer-enrollees, but it is also an inspiration to launch more innovative programs that will improve people’s lives,” said District 2 Representative Adolph Edward “Eddiebong” Plaza of Agusan del Sur of the recognition.
USAD came into existence after the super typhoon Pablo struck the province. Most of the barangays hit by the typhoon were destroyed. In order for them to rise from the devastation, Plaza, who was then the provincial governor, provided the affected farmers with farm inputs and proper technology.
USAD was launched in 2012 and piloted the following year with seven barangays in three municipalities. “USAD Program aims to contribute in reducing poverty incidence of the province by providing access to various projects to upland communities through convergence approach and extending helping-hand to different offices in conducting various activities in the barangays under the program,” explained Maricar Prochina, the USAD focal person in-charge.
“Farmer enrollees”
Farmers who joined the program are called “farmer enrollees.” “They were identified through a selection process based on the recent community-based monitoring system data,” said Prochina. Farmers who are recorded as “poor” were given priority to be enrolled in the program.
One of the highlights in the afternoon was the sikwate making contest. (Henrylito Tacio)
As members, they have the following privileges: receive farm inputs and materials from planting up to production stage and undergo capacity development in terms of training, seminars, and benchmarking, among others. They are also provided with market linkages for their produce.
As enrollees, however, farmers have some responsibilities. Aside from their willingness to be part of the program, they should be willing to make a counterpart for the maintenance and sustainability of the project given to them.
They have also to follow the production technologies introduced to them. In addition, they should not, in any way, do something that could damage and harm the given project. In case the farmer enrollee needs to sell or dispose of the given project, he or she needs to consult and inform the focal person-charge first.
Since its inception, there are now 5,615 farmer enrollees.
Opening program
“Farmers are our national heroes,” said Rep. Alfel M. Bascug of the First District of Agusan del Sur in his inspirational message during the opening program. “They are the pride of our land. They are the backbone of the nation.”
The USAD Farmers’ Day was divided into two activities. The morning activity was spent on soil health forum with the theme: “Kahimsug sa yuta alang sa madagayaong ani” (A healthy soil for bountiful harvest).
In his message, Governor Santiago B. Cane, Jr. admitted that he is also a farmer, but he failed most of the time because when it comes to farming, he practices willy-nilly or hit and miss technique.
“I apply fertilizer and pesticides without technical know-how,” Gov. Cane pointed out. The result: he spent more money on farm inputs and the production was less than he was expecting.
That’s why he is batting for soil testing among farmers. “Our aim here is to increase their yield and reduce their costs,” he said. If the soil is tested first, farmers get to know what kind of crops could be planted in their farms and what kind of fertilizers should be applied for optimum production.
This is one of the women who joined the flower arrangement contest (Henrylito Tacio)
Rep. Plaza agreed. “We want to emphasize that the previous practice of continuously providing fertilizer without considering the consequences, such as making the soil acidic due to excessive fertilizer application, is no longer acceptable,” he said in his speech.
Three invited speakers shared their presentation during the day. Dr. Johnvie B. Goloran, a soil scientist, convinced farmers why they need to know their soil before tilling them. “Fertilizers are good for your farm but you need to know what kind of fertilizer to apply and how much fertilizer should you apply,” he said.
Two ladies – Dr. Adeflor G. Garcia and Dr. Purificacion O. Cahatian – expounded their topics on soil science and friendly insects of soils, respectively. All three were involved in projects supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
The winners
In the afternoon, the contest proper was simultaneously held. The theme was: “Abunda nga agrikultura para sa mag-uuma ug mauswagong ekonomiya.” (An abundant agriculture for farmers and progressive economy.)
The winners of the competition were the following: Charlita Baratas (Bayugan City), Edgar Ingente (Rosario), and Jeremy Cayag (San Luis), first, second, and third, respectively, for Best in Sikwate Making; Virginia Cagalawan (Bayugan City), Ludivina Dahinog (San Francisco), and Rosemarie Tesiorna (San Luis) for Best in Cutflower Arrangement; and Jerson Espinoza (Bayugan City), Jovert Acaac (Esperanza), and Wilfredo Barro (Rosario) for Best in Rubber Tapping.
At least three farmer enrollees, all women, were also honored for their exceptional achievements in farming. Divina Portillo, a cutflower farmer from Bayugan City, was given the top prize. The second prize went to Merlinda Paradillo, a cacao farmer from Veruela. The third place was taken by Felita Banjao, who plants cacao and falcata trees in her farm.
Since it was Farmers’ Day, it was fitting to declare the winners of the Gawad Saka 2023, which was initiated by the Department of Agriculture.
Winners of the annual Gawad Saka search of the Department of Agriculture were recognized during the Farmers’ Day. (Henrylito Tacio)
Marivic B. Soriano, the provincial Gawad Saka coordinator, declared the following individual winners: Edna C. Chavez, of Poblacion, Trento, as Outstanding High-Value Crop Development Farmer (Vegetable-Based); Mirasol R. Viscaya, of Manat, Trento, as Outstanding Integrated Rice Farmer; Edglenn C. Genotiva, of Kapatungan, Trento, as Outstanding Young Farmer; Verano T. Osias, of Baylo, San Luis, as Outstanding Fisherfolk (Fish Culture in Pond); Acila A. Coyoca, of Sta. Maria, Prosperidad, as Outstanding Agri-Entrepreneur; and Annaliza P. Cabantug, of Doña Flavia, San Luis, as Outstanding Rural Woman.
The group categories went to the following: Bucac Farmers Association, of Bucac, Bayugan City, as Outstanding Small Farmers Organization (the president, Fabian S. Luy, was also declared a winner) and Anolingan RIC, of Anolingan, Esperanza, as Outstanding Rural Improvement Club (the president, Editha Dedomo, was also declared a winner).
All winners will automatically represent the province in the forthcoming annual regional Gawad Saka Awards next year.
Right after the closing ceremony, the farmers proceeded to their respective booths, which were just nearby. Others went home as it was getting late and they still have farms to till the following day.
A bright future waits for the farmer enrollees of USAD. According to Prochina, the USAD plans to refocus its coordination and monitoring thrusts towards greater productivity and sustainability through farm modernization/management; development of agricultural technology and innovation; development and promotion of best practices; building community-based cooperative; and establishment of common service facilities for agricultural machineries.
They are also slated to attend workshops, conferences and training on farm management and emerging technologies and innovations, specifically on high value crops.
Photos by Henrylito Tacio