Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

Effective FM Radio Programs

The most effective segment program of FM radio stations in Aklan are Health, News and Public Affairs, and Radio/Magazine/Talkshow programs. This is the conclusion of three AB Masscom students based on their research study: “Effectiveness of Programs of FM Radio Stations In Aklan”. 

The study was conducted by AB MassCom students of the Northwestern Visayan Colleges in the second semester of School Year 2013 – 2014. According to the students Rina Marie Joy A. Calda, Georjene U. Dela Cruz and Liezel A. Trinidad, these programs are rated highly by the respondents for being informative, educational, timely and entertaining. The respondents rated also those FM radio programs from “effective to very effective”. 

Professor Aiza M. Dela Cruz served as their adviser in the study. 

This column wishes to congratulate those students who graduated from the elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools. It doubly congratulates those who graduated with honors and those who completed in their respective classes with honors ranging from model pupils to most outstanding students.

Red Cross Targets

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Aklan Chapter will assist the Aklanon victims of typhoon Yolanda in the area of shelter, livelihood, health, and education. 

According to Ms. Arcely Pelayo, PRC provincial administrator, Aklan Chapter, the program will be assisted by the Spanish and Finnish governments, International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Air Asia.

There are three (3) categories. Under the shelter sector are: shelter repair assistance for 5,000 households. The Spanish Red Cross will provide for 2,750, Finnish Red Cross – 2,000 and IFRC – 250; 2. The Core Shelter targets 3,000 households of which 1,250 will be provided by Spanish Red Cross, and Air Asia 400; 3. The Participatory Approach for Safe Shelter Awareness targets are 8,000 households. 

In Livelihood, 3,000 households are targeted for the provision of agriculture and fisheries inputs and diversification. The Spanish Red Cross will provide 3,000 and Finnish Red Cross – 1,700 for them. 

In the health sector, 14,500 families and 1,200 women are targeted. In education, it will repair 30 classrooms, provides school equipment for 30 classrooms and school kit for 3,000 students. 

According to Atty. Ronquillo C. Tolentino, chairman of Board of Directors, PRC Aklan chapter, these targets will be done in three years. 

Some Rice Statistics

In the culture of rice, a farmer needs to irrigate at least 1,500 kilograms of water per square meter of his farm to produce one kilogram of palay. This watering or irrigation must be done from land preparation to the ripening of the palay. This means a one hectare farm needs 15,000 metric tons of water to produce 10 metric tons of palay per hectare per season.

But how much will the water requirement cost a farmer to produce 10 metric tons of palay assuming that the farmer followed all the recommended farm practices in rice farming?

And yet, palay trading is buyer’s market at P12 to P17 per kilogram. How can a two-hectare rice farmer live with all the requirements in a normal lifestyle? 

He must raise and produce other crops like vegetables and fruits, chicken and eggs among others.

For a decade, after the anti-burning ordinance of farm waste like rice straw was approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and approved by the Provincial Governor of Aklan, the burning of rice straw is still popular among the Aklanon farmers. Everywhere in Aklan today, rice straw is being burn. Nobody cares, even the agricultural technologists of the LGUs and the barangay chairs who are mandated to implement the ordinance do not care. 

They know that burning destroys plant nutrients, destroys humus, and contributes to global warming. They know that one hectare rice straw means they destroy one bag of 50 kilos complete fertilizer.  /MP