Philippine Agricultural Economic Restoration

Since the last update, the IsraAID team in the Philippines, together with the local farmers in Cabintan, have been busy repairing the water pipeline, which was damaged by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake which hit the island in July.  

Water pipe repair:

As mentioned in the last report, a main concern after the July earthquake was damage to the main water pipe. This pipe is the primary water source to the farm, so any damage can harm the growth and production of essential crops, which can affect the local farmers' livelihoods.

The team found a solution by relocating the main pipe to a lower, more protected area – this also allows the momentum of the water to climb uphill. In addition, the dam was cleaned thoroughly three times a month, to deal with the constant heavy downpours as well as the earthquake damage.

Lettuce!

In the last few months, the team replaced most of the bell pepper crops with lettuce. This September, 290 kg of lettuce was harvested!! In the future, the crops will most likely be lettuce, sun tomatoes and bell peppers.

The financial success of the harvest, is now allowing the local farming group to start thinking of and investing in their future – for example, they are talking about expanding the farming area, perhaps bringing a dentist to area and enabling their children to go to school more regularly, instead of helping on the farm. 

Welcome Matan:

During the last week of September, the entire IsraAID Philippines staff visited the project and the fields. The goal was to introduce Matan, the new country director, to the project. Noelle, IsraAID's local agronomist, showed everyone the various crops and explained IsraAID's contributions to the project.

Matan shared his thoughts after the visit –

 "As a former worker on farms and plantations in Israel, I was very impressed with what I saw in Cabintan. The local group is sustaining and even expanding its harvest and earnings. Our role in the project is increasingly advisory and crisis related. The whole staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves especially savoring the local coconuts!"   

Thank you for your continued support - more updates soon!