The Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) Farm School conducted a two-day training on corn cultivation and corn production specific to sloping areas.
In partnership with Syngenta, the training was launched at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Bacoor City, Cavite, with 100 participants from the National Capital Region (NCR), Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Zambales and Bulacan.
Topics discussed during the training were land preparation, planting methods, water management, fertilizer management, pollination and harvesting.
“Upland farming has been a tried and tested low-cost method which was developed for small farmers with few tools, little capital, and little knowledge of modern agriculture and we are hoping that the two-day training will be able to help and empower the 100 farmers that have undergone the training,” said Senator Cynthia Villar, Director of Villar SIPAG.
Corn, a traditional upland crop in the country, has also proven to be one of the best crops for upland or sloppy farming that generates high yield.
The Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) has showed much potential for upland development in the Philippines and as such, there are now more than 5,000 hectares of upland or sloppy farms all throughout the country.
The Villar SIPAG Farm School, in partnership with many organizations, has been at the forefront of conducting trainings to farmers and would-be farmers in its hope of introducing new skills and modern agri techniques to farmers to increase their livelihood and to promote food sustainability.