Gensanportal - Mindanao News Blog

Members of the United Vegetable Growers Association in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, harvest radishes at an integrated pest management (IPM) and organic farming seminar conducted by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Under its Targeted Commodity Expansion Project (TCEP), the GEM Program helped the association establish a two-hectare demonstration farm, which has enabled its 120 farmer-members—mostly former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants—to substantially increase their production of tropical vegetables, and meet the volume requirements of buyers. In collaboration with regional and provincial vegetable producer associations, GEM has been helping to improve the competitiveness of small-scale growers, particularly those situated in Mindanao’s conflict-affected areas, by introducing them to best farming practices and the latest post-production and marketing techniques. GEM is being implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority. GEM