Treacherous terrains for farmers in the mountain regions make it nearly impossible to provide any logistical support, oftentimes leaving them "disadvantaged" compared to their counterparts from the lowlands.

Due to their location, these farmers rarely get a taste of help from the mainland. The high-value crops they produce become "organic by neglect" due to the difficulty in transporting inputs (fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) to the area.

One significant dilemma that has plagued them is how they would efficiently transport their harvest from their production area when farm-to-market roads are not available.

The most convenient way for a farmer to transport their harvest at the time was to rent manual labor or livestock, to travel for more than an hour through rough terrain, river crossings (or both) just to reach the nearest road. Not only have they lost profit due to this, but their produce will also no longer be as fresh once it is ready for transport.

With the intent of developing upland farms, PHilMech produced the Agricultural Tramline System (ATS).

TRAMLINE FOR COMMODITIES

The ATS is a cable system that links isolated production areas to the nearest access road, significantly reducing transportation time and hauling costs while increasing safety, efficiency, and profit.

With an average lifespan of 10 years, this cable system transports goods in a cage that can carry up to 500 kilograms in a single journey at a speed of 150 meters per minute. This means that more quality produce can be delivered or transported for less than the usual transportation time.

According to PHilMech data, hauling cost was reduced by about 70 percent while hauling time was also drastically reduced. From an economic standpoint, an ATS would be cheaper to build compared to farm roads, costing only Three Million Pesos per kilometer (previous data), Additionally, no trees would have to be cut down to establish the tramline system, making it safer for the environment, too.

UPHILL RESULTS

Data suggests that during the duration of the project, PHilMech was able to establish 139 systems nationwide, roughly translating to 7064 farmers' beneficiaries. Most of these systems had been established in the upland regions of Cordillera, Regions II, VI, and XI.

The effects have been remarkable. Farmers reported that their average hauling cost decreased from Php 2 to 3 per kilogram to Php 0.50 (2014 data), which, amazingly, was enough to cover the maintenance costs and other expenses of the ATS, and what they managed to save from the hauling cost became additional income for the farmers.

One such beneficiary was the Liang Bunglo Farmers Association from Atok, Benguet, who wanted to extend the reach of the technology so other barangays could benefit as well, having received their ATS in 2011.

Another beneficiary was the Sampaloc Agricultural Tramline Association of Sariaya, Quezon - the first ATS recipient. Previously, they had to transport their coconut produce manually for over two hours, but now they can do so in just a few minutes.

The Farmers of Barangay Tagukon in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental also benefitted from the ATS, praising the system for providing a much safer option for them to transport their goods across strong river currents.

IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE

ATS users have reported of using the technology beyond its intended purpose (with good reason). They are now able to provide inputs to their farms, creating higher-quality produce. It is no secret as well that they can use the ATS to transport construction materials that helped improve their living conditions using their additional earnings.

What used to be inaccessible or considered "hard to reach" has been connected with the help of PHilMech's cable system. The establishment of the ATS alone created a newfound opportunity for these upland farmers to finally be able to give themselves a fighting chance, leveling the playing field for years to come.