A mother of four and a widower, Alberta V. Monterde, is one of the 16 members of the Purakan SAAD Farmers Association. The association was formed exclusively for the SAAD beneficiaries residing in Brgy. Purakan, Linamon, Lanao del Norte (LDN). 

Ms. Monterde, 62 years old, is among the five senior members granted with the Swine, Carabao and Vegetable Production Project of the Department of Agriculture-Special Area for Agriculture Development (DA-SAAD) Program. 

Life before SAAD

Before becoming a SAAD Beneficiary, Ms. Monterde sells wood (gapangahoy) to the market while her departed husband is a farmer. They used to have a hard time putting food on the table considering they don’t make that much and can’t even make ends meet.

She remembered that they can’t buy rice to eat due to their low income.  Her children, on the other hand, were farming alongside with their father up until 2015 when her husband died. 

In 2019, when SAAD assistance reached Linamon, the local government unit through the Municipal Agriculture Office identified Ms. Monterde as an eligible beneficiary. 

Project Implementation

a. Swine Fattening

Ms. Monterde was granted two swine worth Php 14,000, cattle worth Php 33,600, and vegetable seeds and garden materials worth Php 11,000.

While waiting for her cattle to get pregnant, she focused on swine raising and selling.

Just days after she received the swine, one of the swine died from flu so she was left with only one. Nevertheless, she was able to sell it after a month on July 8, 2020 for Php 10,400. 

The money she earned from her first cycle production was used to buy two new piglets for Php 2,500 each in March 2021. 

On June 10, 2021, she sold her one pig for Php 10,400 while the other was utilized for home consumption.Table 1. Alberta Monterde’s swine production income

She was able to put up a sari-sari store from swine production income. 

For the third production cycle, she bought two piglets worth Php 5,000 on July 24, 2021. She expects to sell after three months for Php 130/kg (liveweight).   

She provides her pigs with commercial feeds and makes sure their pen is clean.

b. Cattle Raising

On the other hand, her cattle is currently two months pregnant and is expected to give birth by March 2022. Ms. Monterde has an agreement with the local government that if their calves are girls, they will turn it over to the LGU. 

This is part of the roll-over scheme agreement between the LGU and beneficiaries. The said calf will be given to the next-in-line beneficiary.

c. Vegetable Garden

With SAAD’s vegetable production project, Ms. Monterde can now farm and harvest from her 100sqm backyard for her family’s consumption.

More SAAD interventions

In 2021, the SAAD Program procured livestock and high-value crops production interventions. Ms. Monterde will receive additional inputs such as biologics, vegetable seeds, and upland rice seeds. A training for meat processing for her and 29 other beneficiaries will also be conducted. ###

Writer: Ruth Esther Bermundo, SAAD Region 10 Information Officer
Editors: Myer Mula, Ulysses Lustria, Jr., Jhomai Canlas, and Jennifer Valcobero