RICE ART. Visitors take a photo opportunity at the unusual rice paddy art in front of the administration building of the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac Campus on Tuesday (Nov. 12, 2019). It features an image of former first lady Imelda Marcos. (Contributed photo)
LAOAG CITY— What could have been an ordinary visit had an unusual twist for around 150 farmers, students, researchers, and extension workers among others who went Tuesday to a cross-farm hosted by the state-run Mariano Marcos State University-Batac Campus (MMSU).
Showcasing the best agricultural practices being advocated by research experts of the university, the cross-farm visit featured the MMSU farm in Barangay Quiling Sur, the President’s Farm and Seed Production Project in front of the College of Agriculture, Food and Sustainable Development (CAFSD).
Every year, the MMSU conducts this activity to inspire more farmers to plant high yielding and resilient varieties of rice and the application of appropriate technologies to boost productivity.
“No awan iti imula, awan met ti maapit. Itultuloytayo ngarud a tagibenen dagiti imulatayo a pagay tapno nalabonto met ti maapittayo (If we don’t plant, we have no harvest. Let us take good care of our rice plants to ensure good harvest),” MMSU President Shirley Agrupis said during the ceremonial planting at the rice paddy art of MMSU.
But the biggest attraction of the activity was the rice paddy art showing the face of former First Lady Imelda Marcos with a verdant green background at the university’s administration building.
Like in the previous year, the rice paddy art aims to promote the importance of rice farming and the unique art of doing so. Agrupis reiterated to the student-participants the exciting business of modern agriculture which also includes art and science.
The MMSU and PhilRice created the rice paddy art using IR 1552, a traditional Korean purple rice variety and a high-yielding PSB Rc 82, where planters used the anamorphosis principle. This technique is being used in 3D art where a picture looks distorted but appears normal when viewed from a certain angle.
“For students who are taking up agriculture, may you continue your passion to become the next agricultural researchers who will feed and strengthen the agriculture industry in the future,” Agrupis said.
Other participants in the cross-farm visit included PhilRice-Batac Director Reynaldo Castro, Ilocos Norte Vice Governor Cecile Araneta-Marcos, SK Federated Chairman Rafael Medina, Provincial Board members Medeldorf Gaoat and Aladine Santos, and representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and MMSU personnel.
Meanwhile, the President’s Farm and Seed Production Project of MMSU serve as a model for farmers in using high quality rice seeds to increase farmers’ productivity.
Under the Rice Seedstock Dispersal Project of MMSU established in 2000, farmer-beneficiaries can avail of high-yielding varieties of rice and organic fertilizer but have to pay it back to the university after harvest. To date, there are 81 farmer-beneficiaries under this program. (PNA)
