Disaster Response Philippines Project #17225

Philippine Agricultural Economic Restoration

by IsraAID

Project Report | Jun 25, 2018
Final Update from our Agricultural Project

By Sam | IsraAID Philippines Fellow

Participants at the closing ceremony

On Tuesday, June 19th, IsraAID and the Calcoa Association celebrated the end of their four year agricultural partnership. Following Typhoon Yolanda, fields and greenhouses were devastated, leaving the community in dire economic circumstances. Led by Alon, an Israeli agronomist, and Noel, a community and association leader, IsraAID and Calcoa set out to develop a sophisticated agricultural system capable of sustainably supporting the community.

While morning rain gently pattered on the community center’s tin roof, IsraAID and the association gathered to honor the leaders who made this project possible and recognize the progress the partnership has achieved.

The ceremony was a bittersweet occasion. The partnership has yielded not only agricultural success, but meaningful friendships. However, most importantly, it marked the capability and self-sufficiency of the Calcoa Association to continue independently.

Quotes from Participants

"I’m thankful we had this project… without this project I wouldn’t have the experience to sell products. I really hope that we can continue, that we can teach others and give others the same experience. Before we had a problem - who will buy from us? But now we have a problem because of the high demand. Every day buyers call me, they want our products. So we need to work hard to supply the demand.”

“Before water was so hard. For this farm, it was so hard to have the supply. But Alon was very clever - he knew what he was doing. So what we did, we just followed Alon on what to do... and we were amazed that now we have a working water source, even though it is 1.2 kilometer away and the water is below.”

Closing the ceremony, IsraAID Philippines Country Director, Matan, left the audience with an ancient Chinese proverb:

“It was Confucius who said, ‘If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant a tree; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.’ I would like to think that we succeeded on all three of these terms in our joint project.”

At IsraAID, it is our ultimate goal to empower communities with the knowledge, skills, and technology to overcome devastation and flourish independently. Thank you for supporting our mission.

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Mar 29, 2018
Teaching high schoolers about vegetable production

By Matan Boiness | Country Director, Philippines

Demonstrating drip irrigation

Over the past few months, a total of 31 Grade 12 students in Cabintan have taken part in hands-on, professional training on vegetable production, using protective plastic low tunnels and drip irrigation.

Noel, our agronomist at IsraAID Philippines, taught the students about drip irrigation and how it works. He demonstrated the different parts of the system, explaining why each part is important and how each part functions. The students were then trained in how to install and operate the drip irrigation system themselves.

In order to graduate from the training program, each student has to complete at least 80 hours of field work, within 5 months, in vegetable production.

These activities are part of the Senior High School Immersion Curriculum, in which students gain hands-on experience and take part in work simulations, where they can use their new-found knowledge and skills.

Noel, IsraAID Philippines Agronomist and Livelihood Program Manager, said:

"I have been involved in IsraAID's agricultural livelihood program for three years. We have all learnt a huge amount, and crop production and sales are really improving. The farmers' income is now 400% higher than it used to be! Every time the farmers see the results of their efforts, they understand the importance of investing in the entire farming process. They also take the knowledge and skills they learn and apply them in their home gardens. Lately we are seeing a rise in educational visits to the farm, like the training for high schoolers, which for me is another sign of our success.

Honestly, I was most surprised to learn that when implementing a livelihood program like this, only about 10% gets dedicated to production and 90% to education. This is my role and I love it!"

Thank you for your support!

Getting hands-on agricultural experience

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Jan 8, 2018
After Typhoons Kai-Tak and Tembin!

By Matan Boiness | Country Director, Philippines

Protective tunnel structures that protect crops

Typhoons Kai-Tk and Tembin

Between the 15th and 23rd of December, Typhoons Kai-Tak (Urduja) and Tembin (Vinta) swept through the Eastern Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines.

There were approximately 200 reported fatalities, with some still missing. The heavy downpours and flash flooding caused considerable destruction to the regions' infrastructure, including immediate damage to roads, bridges and houses. The most affected communities are now dealing with poor housing conditions, shortages of safe water, damage to their livelihoods and sanitation issues.

In Ormoc, there are already 20,000 people at the city's evacuation centers whose homes were destroyed – most of these had still been living in temporary accommodation since Typhoon Yolanda hit in 2013.

IsraAID's team in the Philippines immediately distributed 200 hygiene kits to families with babies and young children, nursing mothers and the elderly. This emergency distribution was facilitated in conjunction with the Youth Development Office, Department of Disaster Risk Reduction Management and the Philippine Red Cross.

Damage to IsraAID's agricultural program:

Typhoon Kai-Tak also hit some areas in Leyte, including our agricultural project in Cabintan. Although some of the large structures and several of the smaller tunnels were damaged, fortunately, the majority of the protective tunnels remained standing and successfully sheltered the crops from the storm.

All the local farmers were very happy and encouraged to see their crops survive the typhoon, thanks to the protective structures that they put in place as part of the agricultural initiative.

The local community helped the farmers clear the area, and remove any debris from the typhoon!

In addition, in November, 30 farmers and three agricultural technologists from Kananga, Leyte, visted the IsraAID-Calcoa agriculture project. They observed the facilities and discussed technical problems that the local farmers were facing. One of the most discussed topics was the optimum irrigation techniques and water quantities for the crops. The visit helped the farmers think through some of their current challenges, and make a plan going forwards.

Visiting farmers!

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