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Region 1 farmers credit good crop stand to local weather updates

by Franzel Monique Bonilla
Region 1 farmers credit good crop stand to local weather updates

Through the DA-PhilRice Batac Farm Wise project’s localized weather updates and advisories, farmers in Region 1 have improved their farm decision-making, which resulted in good crop stands. The project generates localized weather forecasts and crop advisories, and delivers them to the farmers. The 10-day localized weather outlook from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is categorized per municipality for Ilocos Norte/Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan. Data are also published through the DA-PhilRice Batac Facebook page and sent through text blasts. Crisma Quemquem of Ilocos Norte, one of the text blast recipients, reported that the weather updates are beneficial and convenient in planning her day-to-day decisions such as crop irrigation and the schedule to fertilize. She admitted that the initiative resulted in a good crop stand. For three seasons, Quemquem had been monitoring the weather outlooks from the Facebook page as references on when to plant seeds, put necessary fertilizers, irrigate, and harvest her produce. Meanwhile, another recipient Nestor Lacambra said that he is grateful for the information being disseminated as they are being alerted when unprecedented typhoons come.

Date Posted: December 03, 2022
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