A combination of technology and people empowerment has become instrumental in increasing incomes in this small town of Trinidad, Bohol where farm produce has been unstable in recent years.

Lack of modern agricultural technologies, support systems and ineffective planning had taken their toll on this farming and fishing town. Rich farm assets were laid to waste and people turned to rebellion to solve their growing frustration.

The municipal government of Trinidad crafted a plan that will enable it to hit two birds with one stone: solve the growing insurgency problem and improve agricultural production.

The plan calls for the creation of a 5.6-hectare Municipal Demonstration Farm, the establishment of a Municipal Agriculture Office, the construction of deep wells and water tanks and irrigation facilities, and creation of research centers and nurseries for fruit trees, among others.

By 2001, there was a marked increase in productivity level among the farmer-beneficiaries. The project’s so-called Demo Farm yielded mangoes weighing one kilo each, and tested high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties of rice, among others.

To maximize these technologies, the local government organized farmers into associations through which it could promote new strategies. Since they are organized, training and technical assistance were easy to provide.

A town used to earn only P2,000 in 1997. The same town is now raking in P196,000 as a result of the improvement in agricultural yield. More than 5,000 households have so far benefited from the program, causing beneficiaries to invest even more in the program that gave them hope.

This program is recognized as a Trailblazing Program, a finalist for the 2002 Galing Pook Awards.