By: Kleo Marlo R. Sialongo and Creselda D. Tubianosa
In a period when technology is changing fast, one must not rest on laurels but must innovate and continue to do so. Change is always synonymous to innovation. Steve Jobs once said “innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. At the heart of AFC is a group solely dedicated to innovation and updating of technologies to answer the need of the time: maximizing farm land to feed a growing Philippine population.
Crop specific – Soil Specific
Not only that it has specific fertilizer recommendations for every crop, it also has specially designed fertilization technologies for every soil type for a particular crop called the Package of Technology.
AFC came at a crossroads on how to serve the Filipino farmers better and created the Product Development Group to lead research for the development of various fertilization technologies for major Philippine crops; most especially high value and exported crops. Their objective is to help answer the most common questions of farmers; what should they apply to their crops? Doing this well, the group conducted decades of successful field research to come up with science-based fertilization technologies.
Through the years, the company was able to strengthen its collaboration with renowned research institutions like the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and regional research centers of the Department of Agriculture. This forms the foundation of AFC’s industry leadership; the continuous studies its Product Development Department is implementing on the field. These are all efforts to stay true to the company advocacy, heart and soul, to uplift the Filipino farmers, and ultimately, feed the Philippine nation.
AFC research delivers impactful change – a BETTER change that will keep farmers motivated to continue to farm their lands, consider it a business and embrace the science behind farming. This may not be an easy job, but with science and knowledge behind our backs, we will never go wrong; AFC together with our dear stakeholders, distributors and our end-users, our beloved farmers shall reach the top, success creating a clear path to our nation’s food security.
