The 100-hectare field at Barangay New Visayas, Sto. Tomas, Davao Del Norte appeared as a very scenic view after the first cropping season of rice came to harvest. A product of the Adaptive Balanced Fertilization Strategy (ABFS) of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Soils and Water Management (DA-BSWM).
In line with this, a Harvest Festival was held on September 10, 2025. This event was graced by various stakeholders from the Department of Agriculture – RFO 11, Provincial Agriculture Office of Davao Del Norte, Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, Municipal Agriculture Office of Sto. Tomas, and Gravity Irrigators Service Association (GISA) members.
The celebration started with a ceremonial rice harvest by selected participants symbolizing a bountiful harvest, a fruit of labor of farmers and for their adoption of ABFS Technology. The demonstration area is a 100-hectare segment of farms with 113 farmer-cooperators adopting the combo 2 fertilizer recommendation of the ABFS.
Mr. Ronald Solon, member of GISA, said “Thankful kaayo mi kay ang GISA ang napili sa Region 11 nga maka benefit aning sa BSWM Program…sa crop stand pa lang nindot ug green kaayo ang dahon. Ug mas dako among abot compared a cropping before. Farming is Business.” (We are very thankful because GISA was chosen in Region 11 to benefit on this BSWM Program… The crop stand was very good and the leaves were green. And our production is bigger, compared to cropping before. Farming is Business.)
The ABFS is a Science-based program of the DA-BSWM advocating the use of Organic Fertilizer in combination with Inorganic fertilizers to improve rice production, thus improving soil health. According to soil experts, organic fertilizers improve soil properties, while synthetic fertilizers are the primary source of nutrients for plant growth. This is a Cost-effective and Environment friendly approach to farming for a higher Return of Investment, without sacrificing the soil vigor.
The scaling up of Adaptive Balanced Fertilization Strategy across the Country – from Region 1 to BARMM is a good venture of the DA-BSWM for ensuring Food Security of the Country, while promoting sustainable land resource management.
