ATI-Caraga revives flagship demo farm FFARMS

by: Vic Thor Palarca, ATI-Caraga
Los Angeles, Butuan City — The Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in Caraga is reviving its Farm Family Approach on Resource Management for Sustainability (FFARMS), a demonstration farm designed to help smallholders grow food, learn modern farming techniques, and generate extra income.

As inflation, transport costs, and an energy crisis drive up food prices, small gardens and compact farm lots are proving vital to Filipino families. The FFARMS project, which was originally conceived in 2007 by then-Senior Agriculturist Carlos Salcedo, shows how a one-hectare farm can be productive and profitable for households owning three hectares or less.

“Aside from showcasing farming technologies, it also serves as an avenue for learning for our visitors, guests, OJTs, immersion students, and agri kids,” said OIC-Center Director Noemi Beth G. Macario. “This will also benefit OFW retirees or those who returned from abroad for good and decided to engage in farming as a source of income or food.”

The FFARMS demonstrates and showcases a diversified, integrated farming system that maximizes limited land. Its design devotes half a hectare to rice, one-fourth hectare to banana-based production intercropped with fruit trees, and the remaining area to other enterprises. Planting follows an east–west row orientation, where bananas are spaced five meters between hills and fruit trees with ten-meter intervals.

The center promotes a “by phase” approach, which is to establish annual crops first, to be followed by perennials as the annuals mature, and finally introduce permanent, fruit-bearing trees. As the farm expanded, it added enterprises such as rice, pineapple, taro, calamansi, papaya, coconut, banana, tilapia ponds, poultry, rabbitry, and small livestock, illustrating multiple income streams and nutrient cycles within a compact area.

Another farm technology used on the farm is the Sorjan farming system. Sorjan is a climate‑smart approach that uses raised beds with ponds to integrate rice, vegetables, and freshwater fish (such as tilapia, catfish, or milkfish) to boost and diversify farm productivity. The center utilizes its low‑lying areas for rice and plants garden‑variety vegetables on the raised beds. Sorjan technology is best suited to rice-growing and flood-prone areas.

The FFARMS began through a bayanihan effort among ATI employees. The project had no initial funding and relied on volunteer labor until partial completion four years later. Once the ATI-Central Office recognized the initiative, the center received funds for further development. Bayanihan—the Filipino spirit of communal cooperation, remains central to the farm’s history and philosophy.
On May 12, 2025, ATI-Caraga’s FFARMS received a Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) certification for its rice production, confirming compliance with PhilGAP standards for crops. The certification recognizes the farm’s commitment to producing safe, high-quality rice while protecting the environment and prioritizing farmer and consumer welfare.

To date, the center has consistently experienced successful harvests each season. Following harvest, produce is made available to interested employees at farm gate prices, ensuring fair pricing and priority access for staff. This practice not only supports employee welfare by providing affordable, fresh produce but also reinforces the center’s commitment to support local produce and maintain farm-to-staff distribution of farm goods.

With PhilGAP accreditation, FFARMS strengthens its role as a demo farm for local farmers across Caraga, helping ensure rice production and other farm commodities in the region while remaining sustainable and making the community food-secure. (with reports by MGSalve/CBMuga and ATI-13 video archive)