Genoveva Estrella V. Antonio, a woman farmer from Pila, Laguna, was recently named winner of the PMCP-Corteva Agriscience Empowering Women in Agriculture Award.
Ms. Antonio was personally nominated by Dolores A. Ramirez, a National Scientist. Ms. Antonio is recognized for her commitment to good agriculture practices and actively sharing her knowledge with fellow farmers to improve their yields. Ms. Antonio accepted her award in a virtual ceremony at the PCMP Annual Conference attended by Dr. William Dar, Secretary of Agriculture.
Ms. Antonio did not start her working life as a farmer. Formerly employed at the International Rice Research Institute, she was widowed young and left her career as a researcher to become a farmer and raise her three young daughters. She diligently applied herself to farming, adopting new practices and good farm stewardship. Thanks to her hard work, she has demonstrated that rice farming can be a profitable occupation. Although her three daughters have all graduated from university, now pursuing professional careers, Ms. Antonio continues to farm with enthusiasm.
“I am humbled to receive this award. It can be physically hard work, but farming gives me energy as it is my way of life. I love sharing my knowledge and experiences with farmers in my community and seeing them improve their yields and incomes.”, commented Ms. Antonio in her acceptance video.
Deepesh Sharma, Country Lead, Corteva Agriscience Philippines commented: “Ms. Antonio is a wonderful example of why empowering women farmers matters so much. As community leaders, they nurture and raise up all those around them. Empowering women farmers is critical to a more sustainable agriculture future.”
Commenting on Ms. Antonio’s achievements, Lolita Dolores, Chair, PMCP-Corteva Selection Committee said “Ms. Antonio achieves exceptional yields, keeps records of all her farm activities, minimizes inputs and maximizes output. She is sought after by fellow farmers in her town for advice in rice production technologies and is an accredited producer of certified rice seeds by the Bureau of Plant Industry. She demonstrates the strength, tenacity and resilience of a successful farmer.” Ms. Lolita continued, “PMCP looks forward to continuing this collaborative endeavor with Corteva to recognize exemplary and empowered Filipina farmers.”
The PMCP-Corteva Agriscience Empowering Women in Agriculture Award was established in 2019. Nominees must be women farmers in the Philippines whose primary source of livelihood is through crop farming. Nominees are assessed across 5 categories, with an emphasis on good agriculture practices and supporting other farmers in their community.
Corteva recently released its first annual Sustainability Report. Enriching the lives of smallholder farmers and empowering women are two key goals set out by the company. www.corteva.com/sustainability
About Corteva Agriscience
Corteva Agriscience is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry – including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and an industry-leading product and technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the company is committed to working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. Corteva Agriscience became an independent public company on June 1, 2019, and was previously the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.
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