VIRAC, Catanduanes (PIA) — For years, peanut grower Urge Morales from San Miguel, Catanduanes has worked on his farm under the intense summer heat and heavy rain, often with the help of a carabao, or water buffalo.
“Sobrang hirap. Alas kwatro ng madaling araw pa lang, nag-aalaga na ng kalabaw ang asawa ko. Sobra-sobra ang hirap. Nagtitiis po sya ng init at ulan,” said Rosita, Urge’s 65-year-old wife.
(It’s so hard. It’s only four in the morning, and my husband is already taking care of the buffalo. He endures both the heat and the rain.)
The Morales couple is one of millions of small-scale farmers in the Philippines who rely on traditional draft animals for land cultivation due to the high cost of farm machinery.
On Tuesday, May 20, their farmers’ association in Barangay Obo, San Miguel, received a farm tractor from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
This grant of equipment was initiated in accordance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to DOST to reduce poverty and improve the socio-economic conditions of marginalized communities by providing them with knowledge and tools.
When asked to comment on the grant, Rosita was deeply moved. She shed tears of joy.
“Hindi na po kami maghihirap magbungkal ng lupa, kasi traktora na po ang magtatrabaho. Hindi na ang asawa ko kasi po senior citizens na kami,” Rosita said.
(We will no longer struggle to cultivate the land, because the tractor will do the work. My husband will no longer work because we are senior citizens.)
Rosita is confident that their income from peanut farming will increase with the use of the tractor.
With the tractor, they can cover a larger portion of the field, unlike before when land preparation took them more than a week before they could plant the peanut seeds.
“Syempre po lalaki na ang kita namin. Makakapag-aral na ang anak namin. Makakatabi na kami ng pera na pambili ng pagkain sa panahon ng tag-ulan,” Rosita said.
(Our income will increase, allowing our child to pursue her studies. We will also have enough money to buy food during the rainy season.)
In addition to saving for food and education, Rosita dreams of improving their house so that it can withstand the typhoons that strike their island province during the monsoon season.
“Syempre po pangarap ko rin makapagpatayo ng bahay” (Of course, I also dream of building a house),” she said.
Haide Tapia, president of Obo Rural Improvement Club, echoed Rosita’s optimism.
“Dati nag-aarkila kami ng kalabaw at mag-aararo,” she said. “Pagdating ng traktora, tataas ang kita namin. Dalawang araw lang sa traktora makapagtanim na kami.”
(We used to rent buffalo and plowers,” she said. “When the tractor arrived, our income would increase. We could plant it in just two days with the tractor.)
Morales and Tapia expressed their gratitude to the DOST for the grant of farming equipment.
Marie Grace Molina, the provincial director of DOST, expressed her happiness about the success of the DOST’s Community Empowerment through Science and Technology program in meeting the aspirations of peanut farmers in Obo.
CEST has helped many communities enhance their local products and develop new income-generating opportunities, Molina said.
In the coming months, the DOST will continue to collaborate with local organizations and communities in areas where science and technology can significantly impact livelihood development, health and nutrition, environmental protection, and disaster risk reduction, she said. (PIA Bicol/Catanduanes)
