Working Together to Improve Livelihoods (IFI-VIMROD)

Support farmers and their families to come out of poverty and protect the environment at the same time by introducing sustainable agriculture.

Would you like to be part of something exciting? Something which helps bring people out of poverty and protects the environment at the same time? Well, now you can! Please read on to find out how.

Rodel is a 39-year-old farmer, married with two children, who lives in Sibalom Antique, in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Like many of his fellow farmers, he left school at Grade 3, and he and his family worked their small farm in isolation from other farmers.

Rodel says, “Because of exorbitantly high costs of farm inputs, and because we were farming rice in the traditional way, quite a few people in our community had to turn to loans, and we were unable to generate enough income from our farms to sustain the loans. We then needed to work at odd jobs to supplement our incomes.”

So, when IFI-VIMROD came to Rodel’s community to talk to the farmers, most of whom are tenant farmers or farm labourers, about growing hybrid rice organically and sustainably, they were very interested. And with the training and other support IFI-VIMROD provided them, the farmers decided to form the “Villahermosa People’s Organisation” (VPO) so that they could enter into this new way of farming together.

VPO began to use their own home-made fertilisers such as worm composting and fermented liquids, without having to buy expensive chemical inputs. The hybrid rice they began to grow produces a better-quality rice crop than if chemical inputs were used (the grains are denser), and the fact that all inputs are natural and readily available means the farmers sell their rice at a higher price than rice grown with chemicals.

Working together, Rodel and his fellow farmers used readily available materials to make their fertilisers – manure from Caribou or chickens, and leaf waste from other crops.

They now have more nutritious rice to eat and can buy other foods with what they get from the surplus. And they can afford to send their children to school.

Rodel says, “The technology introduced through the project taught me to be resourceful by using organic materials available in the community for fertilizer production. In addition, one of my most important resources, my son, helped me to practice sustainable agriculture to cultivate the farm. The savings we make enable us to provide allowances for our school-age children, and I feel a sense of fulfilment now that I can provide my family with safe and nutritious food. It’s also healthier for me, as when I was using synthetic farm inputs, I would often develop foot infections.”

Rodel adds, “Farming the way we do now gives life to the principles of stewardship, using farm technology that will restore and sustain God’s creation. I believe that sustainable agriculture (SA) contributes to the preservation and abundance of soil and water, and these are key to ensuring the availability of safe and nutritious foods for the next generations. Several of my friends, who are not VPO members, are now willing to be assisted in implementing SA on their individual farms.

“And we’ve noticed that the productivity and quality of the soil has improved significantly. The continuous use of chemical fertilizers dries and hardens the soil, which in effect reduces fertility. With sustainable agriculture, water retention in the soil enables the rice to withstand during the dry season. Also, more organisms are now visible in the soil, showing that the soil’s acidity has returned to normal.

“Now we can grow grass in our paddies which is safe for animals to graze on. And the animal manure is also a rich source of natural fertilizer”, adds Rodel.

People’s lives have been turned around, and the environment is healthier for it!

Giving to this project will support more farmers like Rodel to lead healthier lives and give a viable future to their families. You will also be contributing to improvements in the environments of the communities with whom IFI-VIMROD works.

We have committed to contribute $1 for every $5 we receive from the Australian Government. This means that every donation you make to this project will be combined with funding from the Australian Government to reach more people. Your donation will allow us to extend this program.