It is acknowledged that organically grown agricultural produce is a healthier alternative. Also, organic farming is considered ecologically sound as far as farming techniques are concerned since chemicals that eventually find its residue in the eco-system are non-existent.
But it is not only in the growing of the agricultural products that organic farming is all about. The production of organic seeds is the first step in organic farming and the government recognizes this.
The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) is endeavoring in this direction with its funding of the “Development of Organic Seed Production System of Lowland Vegetables and Field Legumes and Strengthening Partnership in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA and the Bicol Region.” The aim of the project/program is the establishment of a national organic seed production area and at the same time expand the science based technology on organic seed production.
The project’s objective is increasing the production of certified organic seeds of NSIC varieties and promising lines of field legumes and selected vegetables, maintaining organic certification from Organic Certification Center of the Philippines for the organic seed production system, strengthening partnership with identified organic stakeholders in CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, and the Bicol Region, and disseminating organic seed production technology to farmers and interested individuals in said regions.
The target is production area for tomato, eggplant, squash, ampalaya, bottle gourd, sponge gourd, mustard, okra, pole sitao, and cowpea consists of a three-hectare land inside BPI-LBNCRDC.
The project was initiated in 2013 and it led to the expansion of the organic seeds production area.
More than 2,000 farmers and technicians trained on organic seed and vegetable production were the beneficiaries of the project. The trainings were conducted in Palawan, Albay, Sorsogon, and Oriental Mindoro, which led to the identification of possible collaborators of the project.
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