Some 30 corn growers in Mexico , Pampanga are currently benefiting from the curriculum of the Farmers Field School (FFS) in Barangay San Vicente of said town.

This was learned from Marietta M. Ocampo, chief, Crop Production section of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) in Pampanga, who recently facilitated the FFS, along with other staff of OPA.

“The activity covered the cultural management practices on corn production with emphasis on integrated pest management (IPM).”

According to Ocampo, the topics discussed were the following: Agro-Ecosystem Analysis (AESA), its meaning and the inter-relationships of living things in the ecosystem; climate change and its effect on plants and animal production; and earwigs, insects that are considered general predators and effective biological control for corn pests.

With Ocampo were the corn production staff members, Socrates Serrano, Gaudencio Mallari and Sixta Simbulan, provincial IPM coordinator.

“Also present was Eduardo David, a local community leader who was interested in acquiring farming techniques for himself and supporting corn growers in their area,” Ocampo further said.

She added that group dynamics and Lakbay-aral are very much part of the FFS classes.

“The first requires farmer participants to interact actively with one another through the activities introduced by the facilitators. The second approach seeks to acquaint the farmers with areas that are planted to the crop which is the focus of their field school and which uses the technologies taught in the same school.”

“The farmers are given assignments before the end of each class which they are expected to present in the class of the following week.”

According to Ruth Torres, also of OPA, FFS on vegetable production are also conducted in Barangay Suclaban , Mexico on Wednesdays.

“The program which usually runs for four months or a season-long duration - from planting to harvesting - introduces technologies in organic farming to improve the farmers’ harvest and earnings,” Torres explained.

Editha Vega, OPA information officer, added that FFS are conducted to help farmers who, the provincial government recognizes, as giving “invaluable contribution to productivity and likewise to ecological balance”.

Vega said that since 1998, the provincial government has been funding the FFS activities, including snacks during field day and graduation day.  Thus, the conduct of FFS and other projects designed to help the agriculture sector are expected to continue with the support of the provincial government, she concluded.