BAROY, Lanao del Norte (PIA) -- The Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center (ATI-RTC)-10 has introduced farmers in Baroy to modern agricultural tools through a one-day briefing and interview for the Rice Crop Manager Advisory Services (RCMAS).
The RCMAS is a digital agriculture service that provides farmers with information geared towards increasing productivity and profitability through targeted integrated nutrient and crop management.
Through a guided questionnaire, farmers are asked about their farming activities and practices which include the type of fertilizers applied, their quantity, and the time of application. They are also asked about their recent yield from the previous cropping season, the variety used, and the source of their seeds.
RCMAS generates site-specific recommendations to be used by the farmers as a guide for the upcoming planting season. The generated recommendation includes the targeted yield of the farmers in the upcoming cropping season on June 2024 along with EAT Right - right Element, right Amount, and Timing of application for fertilizers used. It shall also be noted that the recommendation can only be used once, and shall not be used in other farm lots besides the lot tilled by the farmer during the interview.
Thirty rice farmers participated during the activity, with a total of 35 RCM recommendations being generated.
“Thank you for this activity, for correcting me with the wrong practices that I do. I have personally realized that I have been applying fertilizers too much and applying them during the wrong growth stage of the crop. I will definitely follow this recommendation in the next cropping season to really see its difference,” a participant said.
Marylie P. Monteroyo-Suralta, the ATI-RTC RCMAS focal person, and Julia T. Calahat, the officer-in-charge of the Municipal Agriculture Office of Baroy, are positive that the farmers, with the guidance of the agricultural extension workers in Baroy, will benefit from the recommendations given to them. (ATI-10/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
