Dino's life's turnaround started in 1996 when the Philippine government and the MNLF signed a peace agreement, ending over two decades of hostilities and opening opportunities for former combatants to become productive farmers. Right after that historical signing, he started tending to a small farm with a variety of crops such as mungbean, peanuts and upland rice; but hardly made any money.

For five years Dino continued "experimenting" on suitable crops, until he became part of the Livelihood Enhancement and Peace (LEAP) Program. The USAID-funded program provided Dino and his comrades corn production inputs and technical assistance to maximize the potentials of their farms and become profitable farmers.

At present, the farm which he describes as a former battlefield, is producing hybrid corn and fetches an annual income of PhP48,000 ($923). He explains that the average yield of his two-hectare plot is approximately five tons of corn (on cobs) per cropping.

For Dino, hybrid corn is a far better commodity compared to the other crops he had tried before. Now, he can save a little cash for the rainy days - something which was hardly possible then.

Top