Bagging mangoes 60 days after flower induction prevents insect pests and diseases from damaging the fruits. It also prevents scars and scratches, latex burns, and fungal spots.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service office is conducting a Mango Festival on May 2-10, 2019 at DA Compound, Elliptical Road, Diliman, Quezon City. The festival will feature Guimaras mangoes and other mango varieties produced by different regions and provinces.

The Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) will also hold a free seminar on mango production and processing on May 10, 2019 at the ATI Rural Development and Education Center function hall. For more details, call or text our Farmers' Contact Center at 0920-946AGRI (2474).

Okra is known for its profitability and nutritional value. It can be grown on diverse soil types and has varieties that can thrive on tropical climatic conditions.

Seven to ten kilograms of okra seeds is enough for one hectare. Soaking the seeds overnight before planting will help attain uniform germination and good crop stand.

In 2015, a small study from the University of Georgia in the USA found that two cups of coffee before a workout reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Caffeine blocks the body receptors for adenosine, a chemical released from body cells in response to inflammation. DOMS is a muscular pain and stiffness that occurs after a heavy body workload.

Coffee is also a good source of income. It is second to crude oil among the world's most traded products.

Water is essential to the survival of humankind. As the population continues to grow, the need for water increases significantly—not only for drinking, but also for growing food and providing proper sanitation.

Use water more efficiently by turning off the tap while brushing teeth or doing the dishes and by fixing dripping taps in your home. This World Water Day (WWD), let us make water conservation a conscious effort to ensure that every household, school, workplace, farm, factory, and other establishments have access to the safe water they need.

With the international theme “Leaving no one behind”, this year’s WWD celebration emphasizes everyone’s “right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”

In the Philippines, the week-long event centers on the localized theme “Hawak-kamay, Tubig Kaagapay”. Different activities will be held to tackle the water crisis so that all individuals can have ample water supply, regardless of any condition.

Make every drop count.

Make everyday a World Water Day.

We continue to celebrate stories of all women in the country this National Women's Month, in recognition of their significant contributions to nation-building.

This year’s celebration focuses on strengthening efforts to improve and track the progress of the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women, and other relevant laws and commitment to the international community. These include the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Women play integral roles in the field of agriculture. Victoria Mendiola Ela is one who made her mark in the sector as the first Filipina agriculturist. She is known for her outstanding contributions in plant pathology and as the only woman chairperson of the Department of Plant Pathology in the College of Agriculture of University of the Philippines, Los Baños.

To showcase the achievements of women like Ela, the Agricultural Training Institute will spearhead a symposium on “Women in Rice Farming” on March 25-29, 2019. This will feature a knowledge-sharing and learning among women rice farmers in the country. Invited speakers and participants will talk about their best practices in rice farming as well as the different roles women can play in agriculture.