March 29, 2024

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Extension workers of the Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agriculture Development continue to monitor livelihood projects they provided to small farmers and fisherfolks and provide guidance to ensure their success and sustainability.
Recently monitored showing initial success is the duck production of Leonie Bassong, a member of Tanglag Fisherfolks Farmers Irrigation Association in Lubuagan, who received 24 heads of ducks on Aug. 19, 2020 for the Integrated Root Crop, Vegetables, Fruit Trees, and Poultry Production Project.
Her ducks started laying eggs in November 2020 and to date, 207 eggs were produced from her stocks. A portion of the produce was used for family consumption.
To improve rate of hatching, the monitoring team suggested improving the stocks’ housing since rainfall leakage was observed and egg exposure to water may decrease its hatchability.
More straws inside the coop are also needed to prevent the eggs from breaking.
With a good number of additional stocks, Bassong plans to venture on egg production and add value to her produce for better income.
She extended her gratitude to the program and hoped for her organization’s success.
The team earlier conducted field validation on the free-range chicken multiplier farm project in Tanudan.
The team, led by SAAD Assistant Operations Officer Daisy Yogyog, visited Marjorie Ang-ang’s multiplier farm at Sitio Bawak, Barangay Dupligan with Agriculturist I Marjorie Casilla and assisted by the SAAD-Kalinga team.
Ang-ang, 36, is a member of the Bawak Darulog Allubaggan Pagugo (BDAP) Farmers Association.
She was featured in the KasaSAAD April to June 2020 issue for her success in producing 94 heads from the six heads of free-range chicken given by the SAAD program in 2019.
She had since started selling brown eggs in the community.
The impressive management of Ang-ang enabled her to receive a multiplier farm-based enterprise worth P500,000 from the program.
The project aims to ensure the sustainability of quality poultry supply in Kalinga and establish a communal agricultural enterprise to sustain the income of BDAP members.
The enterprise will be the local source of free-range chicken stocks and brown eggs in Tanudan and nearby municipalities.
Proposed items to be given are chicken stocks worth P260,000 and poultry feeds worth P240,000.
Ang-ang’s counterpart in the project is the 16 by 24-foot poultry facility built beside their house at the hillside where her 200-square-meter cash crop production area is located.
Assessing the current housing condition, Yogyog and Casilla suggested putting up fences using trichantera and locally available materials for the 200-square meter area where the stocks will be pastured; planting or preparing alternative local feed resources for the stocks; construction of indoor components such as chicken coops, perching stands, and elevated flooring; and construction of drainage canals.
Ang-ang is among the first recipients of the egg incubator units distributed by SAAD Kalinga.
SAAD Kalinga also conducted its first Organizational Development and Management Training for people’s organization in Barangay Balantoy, Balbalan participated in by 46 beneficiaries from the two SAAD location sites in the barangays Bulo and Balantoy Proper.
Balantoy is a SAAD expansion barangay for 2021, which will receive livelihood interventions suitable in the area.
The activity aimed to capacitate farmer-leaders in running an organization guided by their formulated constitution and by-laws.
Assistant APCO Bentres Goyo said the training may help our farmers in achieving a progressive organization and a successful project management. – Peter A. Balocnit