Diagnosing and providing the support systems needs of small scale organic rice farmers in bicol region, Philippines
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Abstract
With the increasing number of rice farmers wanting to shift to organic farming in the Philippines, there is a need to diagnose the needs in terms of technologies, policies and support services that will promote compliance of our small scale farmers to national standards on organic agriculture. The study determined the practices, gaps and problems of small organic rice farmers, and recommended specific actions to overcome gaps and problems in the adoption of organic rice farming. Data and information were gathered from individuals, organizations and groups known to practice organic farming through primary and secondary data gathering, key informant interviews (KII), and focus group discussions (FGD). Support systems mostly needed are the following: a) seed production and saving b) alternative methods on pest management; c) climate-smart farm planning; d) climate-smart post-harvest facilities; and d) effective market support systems. Moreover, there is a need to conduct extension support services on seed production, localized seed saving systems and ecological pest management to increase knowledge and know-how of organic agriculture adopters. Lastly, provision of community-based common service facilities for seed drying and storage, and marketing support are crucial to improve productivity.
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