Bukidnon Talaandig farmers turn to organic farming to tap vegetable market

VALENCIA CITY (October 20)  — Talaandig farmers in Bukidnon are learning organic vegetable production to improve their harvests and develop marketable produce, hoping to build a steadier source of income while supplying consumers through a science and technology program supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-Northern Mindanao.

Farmers from Barangay San Miguel, including members of the Balugto “Hope” Agroforestry Association Inc. (BHAII), underwent hands-on training under DOST-Northern Mindanao’s Science and Technology Community-Based Farm (STCBF) Talaandig Project.

The training covered organic vegetable production, beekeeping, soil and nutrient management, crop protection, seed-to-seed organic crop management and post-harvest seed handling.

Resource speakers from the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 10 led technical sessions, combining discussions with demonstrations and guided activities that allowed participants to practice the methods.

For the farmers, the goal extends beyond learning new techniques. They must determine whether these methods can produce marketable vegetables consistently and help them secure buyers.

BHAII president Randy Uy said the association hopes the training will help members gradually adopt organic farming technologies and supply consumers with their produce.

“Among handom, gawas maka tabang mi [BHAII] sa farmer members nato, maka abag pud mi sa mga mag palit sa among products. Bahala bag-o pa mi ani na technology, at least makita namo kung kaya namo mag produce ani [organic vegetables] pinaagi sa tabang na assistance sa DOST,” Uy said.

“We hope that, aside from helping our farmer-members, consumers can also benefit from our products. Although this technology is new to us, we can see if we are capable of producing organic vegetables through the support and assistance of DOST,” he said in English.

DOST-Northern Mindanao said it encourages local government units and farmers’ associations across the region to pursue partnerships that strengthen agricultural capacity and promote appropriate science and technology.

For the Talaandig farmers, the next challenge is to turn the training into sustained production and dependable market opportunities. Their success will depend not only on adopting organic methods but also on producing vegetables that buyers want and can purchase regularly.