TACLOBAN CITY — Sixteen farmers in Calbayog City are expected to improve their vegetable harvests and reduce production costs with the installation of a solar-powered irrigation system funded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in their farming community.
The facility, turned over to the Cansajas Agri Growers Association in Barangay Dawo, is expected to provide a more dependable water supply for six hectares of farmland, reducing the need for farmers to manually haul water from a river to irrigate their crops.
Funded under the DA Regional Field Office 8’s High Value Crops Development Program, the project aims to strengthen vegetable production by improving access to irrigation, particularly during prolonged dry periods.
Jaime Dipa, vice president of the association, said the system had significantly eased the farmers’ workload and helped improve crop production by eliminating the laborious task of repeatedly carrying water to their farms.
“Before we had solar irrigation, our yields were only about 10 percent, but now production has increased significantly because we no longer have to struggle with hauling water back and forth to irrigate our crops,” Dipa said.
He said the availability of a more convenient irrigation source would allow farmers to devote more time and effort to cultivating their crops rather than spending hours transporting water.
Association member Lolita Acebara also welcomed the project, saying it would be particularly beneficial to elderly farmers and those who struggle to carry water over long distances.
Acebara added that the facility could help farmers cope with the effects of El Niño by providing a more reliable source of water for their crops during dry conditions.
With improved irrigation access, the association’s members expect to sustain vegetable production, increase harvests and strengthen their livelihoods.
The project is part of the DA’s continuing efforts to provide agricultural infrastructure that supports high-value crop production and helps farmers improve productivity and resilience to climate-related challenges in Eastern Visayas.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
