JCI Mandaue’s โ๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝโ Phase 2 marked a significant milestone in supporting sustainable agriculture. Over ๐ฑ๐ฌ+ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ from various cooperatives and associations across Camotes Islandโrepresenting the municipalities of San Francisco, Poro, Pilar, and Tudelaโcame together for the two-day We Bid to Agri program. We were also privileged to have the presence of Hon. Allen Arquillano, Municipal Councilor of San Francisco.
It was a historic day for the island as, through our partnership with Ford Tractor Philippines, we were able to introduce and, for the first time, demonstrate the corn combine harvester. This milestone event marked a new era of modern harvesting mechanization, transforming agricultural practices and paving the way for greater productivity and efficiency. This demonstrated how a labor-intensive five-phase harvesting processโtypically requiring an entire dayโcould now be completed in just 1โ2 hours.
Beyond the demonstration, the farmers engaged in lectures focused on:
๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: Understanding the benefits and practical application of agricultural machinery vs manual labor in corn harvesting.
๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด & ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐: Equipping farmers with knowledge on how to manage finances and enhance profitability.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ต: Building stronger networks for collective growth and advocacy.
The program’s second day featured a live harvesting demonstration with ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ “๐๐” ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐, a celebrated farmer based in Camotes Island. Renowned for his innovative practices in corn farming, Alvarez has championed the use of modern agricultural technology, such as GMO hybrid corn, to significantly boost crop yields. His accolades include being named Cebuโs Most Outstanding Corn Farmer in 2016, Region 7โs Most Outstanding Corn Farmer in 2017, and his membership in the prestigious Global Farmer Network.
The program empowered a diverse group of participants, including cooperative presidents, Department of Agriculture coordinators, and rice and corn technicians. Together, they witnessed and participated in the mechanized corn harvesting of a total of ๐ฑ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ+ ๐๐พ๐บ cornfield, yielding an impressive ๐ฏ,๐ฑ๐ฌ๐ฌ+ ๐ธ๐ด of corn kernels ready for the next phase of corn production.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ Phase 2 underscores the commitment of JCI Mandaue to empower local farmers, bridging traditional practices with modern innovation to foster growth, resilience, and sustainability in agriculture. This success lays the groundwork for even greater collaborations and advancements in the futur