The tree above (from coop-nscc.com) shows 10 branches where Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives, NSSC, is working/good at: microfinance, marketing, trainings, school, hotels & restaurants, coop capacity building, agriculture, social sciences, community organizing, and micro-insurance.
Wow!
Why did I visit that website? I was reading today's Facebook post of Secretary of Agriculture William Dar/Manong Willie:
We were at the Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC) in Caoayan, Ilocos Sur with Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Singson, Cong Kabsat DV Savellano, Caoayan Mayor Gemma Golart, and DA Region 1 officials interacting with rice and vegetable farmers.
Reading that comes to mind as an Ilocano son of a farmer – Ilocanos are rice & vegetable farmers. But perhaps, most Filipino cultivators of the soil are rice & vegetable farmers. Which means they are not monocultural with rice? Oh, they are, and that is where the problems come. The problems I see are that our farmer:
(1) Wastes seedlings
He does not transplant in squares, which maximizes & equalizes the area of growth of each seedling. He sticks 2-3 seedlings/hill.
He does not transplant in squares, which maximizes & equalizes the area of growth of each seedling. He sticks 2-3 seedlings/hill.
(2) Wastes fertilizers
My father Lakay Disiong, almost 60 years ago, broadcast his fertilizer all over the field – and I did not know any better. He did not realize that he made the weeds happy too.
My father Lakay Disiong, almost 60 years ago, broadcast his fertilizer all over the field – and I did not know any better. He did not realize that he made the weeds happy too.
(3) Wastes pesticides
He sprays religiously – meaning to a schedule that he believes is good because somebody told him. My brother Emilio, also an agriculturist, instructed our father.
He sprays religiously – meaning to a schedule that he believes is good because somebody told him. My brother Emilio, also an agriculturist, instructed our father.
(4) Wastes labor
When transplanting, he does not use the transplanter. When harvesting, he does not use the rice combine harvester.
When transplanting, he does not use the transplanter. When harvesting, he does not use the rice combine harvester.
(5) Borrows from usurers
The worst thing that he does, and he does not realize how it impacts on his farming, is borrow from usurers, 5/6 – borrow 5K and pay 6K within one planting season.
The worst thing that he does, and he does not realize how it impacts on his farming, is borrow from usurers, 5/6 – borrow 5K and pay 6K within one planting season.
NSCC is the most successful consortium of cooperatives I have ever seen. Is it even real?
Now, having seen my list above, I shall now apply Hilario's Original Farmer Help Test Question:
How many Nueva Segovia farmers are complaining that rice prices have gone down insanely?
(1) I expect many, if not all.
(2) I expect also none at all.
If my (1) answer is correct, it means 2 things. One, those Nueva Segovia farmers who are complaining are not selling to their cooperative. Two, they are typical rice farmers as I have described above.
If my (2) answer is correct, it also means 2 things. One, the cooperative is buying the harvests of its rice farmers and at a fair price, nothing to complain about. Two, they may still be typical rice farmers and their whole rice-based farming system needs improvement!
I think I want to visit the physical place, the NSCC Plaza at Caoayan, Ilocos Sur. Also get to talk with farmers and learn about their rice farming, what practical lessons I can pick up from them as an Agriculturist, UP '65, and as a crusading writer.
https://www.coop-nscc.com/#
I also would like to talk with the webmaster of that website – how the access could be improved, advice free!@517
No comments:
Post a Comment