COLEGIO DE STA. LOURDES OF LEYTE FOUNDATION, INC.

OFFICE OF SPECIAL PROJECTS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

In support of the Department of Agricultures program for National Farm Mechanization, the
Colegio de Sta. Lourdes proudly presents your office with its SMART Tractor project proposal for ACEF assistance consideration. Colegio de Sta. Lourdes was founded by Dr. Rustico Balderian as a means to alleviate poverty in his hometown of Tabontabon, Leyte. Since its inception in 2003, it has been giving poor, but deserving students with a desire to educate themselves an opportunity to earn a Bachelors degree. Over ninety percent of the nursing graduates of Colegio de Sta. Lourdes pass the Nursing Licensure Examination on their first attempt and continue on to rewarding careers both here and abroad. In line with its mission to not just help students, but also the community at large; Colegio de Sta. Lourdes initiated programs aimed to help better the lives of those who are not able to attend a four-year course. It became an accredited partner of the Department of Labor and Employment in 2010. The current project which the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes is dedicating its efforts to is the mechanization of the rice farming process to help the farmers produce more crops with less costs incurred. Using its own available funds, the school has researched, developed, and prototyped a riding tractor, which farmers can ride to perform farming tasks such as plowing and harvesting. A working model is currently being used in the local area. The riding tractor, which Colegio has dubbed the SMART tractor, will be of great benefit to the many farmers who use it if it is mass-produced. Because it is mechanized, the tractor dramatically increases economies of scale: more fields can be farmed in less time and with less manpower. With the tractor, the farmer no longer has to trudge in the mud but can now ride on the tractor. The farmers are therefore no longer exposed to the danger of contracting schistosomiasis and leptospirosis. In addition to the ease of operation, the SMART tractor is more convenient in its transportation as it is already street-ready. Hand tractors currently used by farmers have to be loaded onto trucks to be transported from farm to farm, which can be a back-breaking, multi-person task. It is the goal of the Colegio de Sta. Lourdes to acquire funding to further develop the tractor and purchase needed production equipment to mass-produce the tractor. The effect of this program on a large scale can have a tremendous impact on the food sustainability of the country and the livelihood of the farmers. Upon approval of this project, you and your office will be commended and recognized for having supported a project that tangibly expands not only the agricultural competitiveness of the country, but also its industrial capabilities. The Colegio de Sta. Lourdes eagerly anticipates working with the Department of Agriculture in implementing this project.

Brgy 1 Quezon Tabontabon, Leyte 6504 053-332-7824 csllfi@yahoo.com

Dr. Rustico B. Balderian 0917-326-1139 rustybalderian@gmail.com