Crops to quicker cash

To vegetable farmers in Little Margos in the municipality of Tungawan , Zamboanga Sibugay, preparing and packaging harvested crops were activities confined to daytime. With only kerosene lamps giving them light at night then, they found it difficult in the evening to segregate quality vegetables from rotten ones for selling to wet markets. This slowed them down considerably, and thus limited their income.

With past experiences of failed promises by politicians, the residents of Little Margos cannot help but doubt development programs being introduced to their village. The community development assigned to Little Margos had a difficult time organizing 30 households to comprise the Barangay Renewable Energy and Community Development Association (BRECDA). Her persistence, however, convinced the people that AMORE was for real.

In November 2004, AMORE finally energized Little Margos with solar home systems. Among those who benefited most from the electrification were the community’s farmers. “We could already deliver our crops to Zamboanga City at three in the morning of the next day--thanks to the solar lights from AMORE,” said Little Margos BRECDA Secretary Mary Jane Villaflor.   And that has definitely made all the difference in the lives of the farmers and their families, who could already convert their now fresher crops to cash sooner.