An egg a day is okay, it is good for the health. A tray of egg a day is money on the way!
This is how the members of the Anda Mushroom Growers Organization-Farmers Association (AMGO-FA) take into heart the benefits of the Adaptation, Mitigation, and Initiative in Agriculture (AMIA) Project they have received from DA-RFO 1. Not only a daily provision of egg for their good health, but a daily provision of additional income.
AMIA is DA’s Special Project that aims to respond to the challenges posed by climate change in the agri-fishery sectors in the country to become resilient and responding towards achieving the goals and objectives of sustainable development.
Anda is a 5th class municipality identified to be vulnerable to typhoon and drought based on the vulnerability map of the province of Pangasinan.
With the threat of drought and the onslaught of strong typhoon yearly, farmers of Anda encounter challenges of growing crops such as rice, vegetables and corn.
As the DA’s partner in this noble mission, the AMGO-FA is a recipient of various interventions from AMIA that helps the members become socially prepared especially on the provision of livelihood projects that give each member an additional source of income and sustainable livelihood.
Started in the early part of June, amidst the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the project was introduced to the AMGO-FA members through the conduct of briefing and orientation by DA-Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) based in Sual, Pangasinan led by Dr. Mary Jane Alcedo, AMIA focal person of the region.
The orientation was followed by a technical briefing where member-partners were equipped with technical-know-how in raising free-range chicken as well as duck as a pre-requisite in availing of the stocks provided by DA.
The AMGO-FA is composed of 20 member-cooperators led by Ms. Marilou Celi and Mr. Ramon Zafra, the Chair and Vice-Chair, respectively. Upon the recommendation of the Municipal Agriculturist in the area, the association was selected from among three identified beneficiaries of the livelihood project.
A total of 300 ready to lay free-range chicken and 30 heads of mallard ducks was awarded to AMGO-FA while housing for the stocks was a counterpart of the association.
Along with the stocks, DA also provided 30 drums for water harvesting purposes and 25 gallons of molasses at 30 kilos per gallon that was used as feeding supplements of the stocks provided.
Having learned the benefits of natural farming, farmer-members feed the chickens with leaves of madre de agua, malunggay and banana as well as azolla combined with commercial feeds to reduce production costs of their stocks.
With the need for breeder, the group bartered their hens to accredited breeder producers in the area with 10 hens in exchange for seven (7) cockerels. These cockerels ensure the daily production of eggs for the farmer-members.
From an initial harvest of 12 eggs on the first two weeks after receiving the stocks, this increased to an average of 115 eggs a day which was sold at P6 per piece and sold to private individuals and walk-in buyers.
Realizing the benefits of this enterprise, they fully embraced managing the stocks alternately per member on a weekly rotational schedule.
Now at two months of doing the enterprise, the members are able to derive an accumulated income of P28,600.00.
Determined to sustain the project and rise above the challenges brought by climate change in their municipality, the association members look forward to increasing their number of stocks and aiming to have their own incubator and shredding machine to further enhance their production and ensure the success of their project.
