Pruning Practice Triples Productivity for Filipino Farmer
Farm-owner, Mr. José Valdestamon, was more than delighted with the results he learned during the Farmer Field School program. Productivity improved on his 2-hectare cocoa farm of 730 cocoa trees from previous years production of 300 kilos to 900 kilos this past cocoa season. José tripled his production by implementing pruning techniques that he learned in FFS to his 12 year old cocoa trees.
José is a member of the Brooke’s Point Cacao Growers Cooperative, one of the local project partners in Palawan that participated in the SUCCESS Alliance Philippines Farmer Field School training program funded, in part, by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). José joins over 5,200 farmer graduates who were trained in tree management and rehabilitation of aging trees from the SUCCESS Alliance Phase 1 project (2002-2005) implemented by ACDI/VOCA and WCF Member, Cocoa Foundation of the Philippines (CocoaPhil).
Engr. Bernardino Verano and Larry Bayna, officers of the cooperative are SUCCESS Alliance training of trainer graduates who are actively promoting cocoa planting techniques and advocating sustainable cocoa production in Brooke’s Point.
As a member and supporter of the Alliance, WCF sponsored bridge funding in 2006 to reach an additional 294 farmers and maintain project support and follow-on training activities to farmer graduates and cooperatives until the Phase 2 project commencement in September 2006. Over the next 3 years, Phase 2 will train an additional 15,000 farmers, rehabilitate 400,000 old cocoa trees and distribute 1,120,000 cocoa plants thanks to support from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), member companies, and ACDI/VOCA.
Photo: From left to right: CocoaPhil Technician, visiting USDA intern, Larry Bayna, José Valdestamon, and local government technician during a visit to José’s farm.