Genoveva Estrella Antonio, a woman farmer from Pila, Laguna, was named winner of the PMCP-Corteva Agriscience Empowering Women in Agriculture Award.
Antonio was personally nominated by Dolores Ramirez, a national scientist. Antonio is recognized for her commitment to good agriculture practices and actively sharing her knowledge with fellow farmers to improve their yields. She accepted the award in a virtual ceremony at the PCMP Annual Conference attended by Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
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, 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,” said Antonio in her acceptance video.
Deepesh Sharma, country lead of Corteva Agriscience Philippines, said: “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 Antonio’s achievements, Lolita Dolores, chair of 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.”
“PMCP looks forward to continuing this collaborative endeavor with Corteva to recognize exemplary and empowered Filipina farmers,” said Dolores.
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.