The project  of Marilyn Turingan on potato and cassava production was not this successful has she not been an SLP participant. From her skills on farming root crops and with the help of SLP program,she achieved more than what she expected from survival to what she is now.

Prior to her membership in the program, she had met a lot of challenges, hardships in life particularly financial burden from abusive traders and financiers, a negative income from farming due to sudden climate change and relying solely with corn farm land for a living.

Marilyn, with a strong determination to uplift her living condition has experience success through embracing SLP and maximized the seed capital for a micro enterprise on root crops. Capitalizing on the seed capital  of Php10,000.00 from SLP, the wheel of fortune turns for Marilyn.

In Octiber of 2013, she tried on planting “Kamoteng Baging” (Sweet Potato) as an alternative crop from corn and produced a very good income. Inspired by this undertaking and coupled with perseverance, strong faith in God and technical knowledge gained from training initiated by the SLP, she ventured into planting another alternative crop, this time, cassava. The harvest and sales turned out well.

Today,  her farm produce for sale not only includes root crops but fruits and  vegetables as well. Likewise, she is involved in mushroom production and production of organic fertilizer.

The milestone of her success is continuously reaping as she is now free from indebtedness and able to purchase a lot, few construction materials for their future house and able to mortgage 2 hectares of farm land which she is currently cultivating.

Among her farm laborers are fellow Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in her barangay. She is supplying the products to Agri-Pinoy Trading Center in Roxas, Isabela and her farm produce now reaches Quirino Province and other municipalities of Isabela.

For sustainability, she maintains an operational fund. She is also the point person in San Mariano in behalf of the Pantawid beneficiaries regarding delivery of their agricultural products at the  Agri-Pinoy Trading Center in Roxas, Isabela. ### By: Katylin A. Cauilan, SLP Project Development Officer II