ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, August 15, 2023 – For multiple income generation by engaging in various farming activities such as poultry and fruit tree cultivation, 30 farmers of Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte received integrated project inputs from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program Phase 2.

The New Calamba Farmers Association (NCFA) received the inputs under the Integrated Project on Upgraded Native/Free-range Chicken Raising, Banana Production, and Various Fruit Trees Production Project worth Php 1,360,673 from April to June, 2023. 

SAAD’s foremost purpose is to organize, provide knowledge, physical inputs, and technical support to targeted marginalized communities for food and economic relief. Through the native chicken project, farmers can sell eggs, meat, and chicken products, while also maintaining the long-term complementary support which are banana and fruit trees such as durian, lanzones, pomelo and rambutan. 

Table 1. Inputs delivered to New Calamba Farmers Association (NCFA)

Organized in 2019, the NCFA, are farmers of all sorts, growing various vegetables for consumption, engaging in native chicken production, and raising cattle, swine, among others.

The 30 members’ main source of their income largely depends on labor service on coconut (copra) production and rubber production (tapping). Part of their income is also shared with the landowner.

The SAAD Beneficiary Needs Assessment (BNA) floated the suitability of a native chicken raising project integrated with fruit trees production came as predominantly favorable to their needs since most of the members already have knowledge and experience in poultry and long-term fruit trees projects.

The poultry will be managed in a communal mode. The members prepared a 1,500 square meters area for the chicken coops located in two (2) sites to become accessible to the members. Labor requirements for tending and maintenance will be on a rotation system. The chickens will then be sold in live weight once they reach the marketable size.

Meanwhile, the lakatan banana plantlets and various fruit seedlings are distributed to be cultivated by individual farmers with an estimated accumulated area of 21 hectares. The NCFA members are expecting to start harvest of bananas nine (9) months to one (1) year from the planting date, and other fruits in five years’ time.

NCFA President Ricky Tijamo expressed his appreciation to the Program and provided assurance to maintain and sustain the projects.

“Nagpasalamat mi og dako sa SAAD sa ilang dako nga tabang sa mga mag-uuma ilabi na sa New Calamba [FA]. Nahatagan mi og grafted nga mga fruit trees ug abono, uban sa mga manok. Kaning proyekto amoang paga ampingan isip pasalamat sa inyong pagsalig kanamong mga farmers,” President Tijamo stated.

(We are very grateful to SAAD for their great help to the farmers especially to New Calamba [FA]. We were given grafted fruit trees and fertilizers, along with chickens. This project will be cared for as a ‘thank you’ for your trust in us farmers.)

Aside from the DA-SAAD packaged interventions, a technical training on native chicken raising was conducted on June 8-9, 2023 to equip the beneficiaries with additional knowledge in poultry management. ###

Writer: Aimee Lou D. Madjus, DA-SAAD Region 9 Information Officer
Source: Nievo T. Amparado, DA-SAAD Zamboanga Del Norte Area Coordinator