BATAC, Ilocos Norte – A short program was conducted to formalize the launching of the Romaine Organic Farm from being a Learning Site to a School for Practical Agriculture (SPA) on October 3, 2017 witnessed by the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center I (ATI-RTC I) Heads and Staff, City Local Government Units of Batac, and other farmer leaders.
Hon. Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta, Vice Mayor of Batac, welcomed the attendees of the event by sharing his experiences of witnessing the transformation of Romaine Organic Farm. According to him, the farm started as “a land so barren and dull” that developed into “a land full of potential being a model farm that could be used as inspiration to all farmers of Batac”.
Dr. Rogelio Evangelista, ATI-RTC I Director, said in his message that ATI supports farmers to cultivate their farms into a Learning Site and further develop it into a School for Practical Agriculture having an end goal of becoming Agri- Farm Tourism.
“An ordinary farm could in the future be the center of agricultural extension services; this is where farmers become teachers to other farmers and at the same time become agripreneurs as farming is also a form of business”, Director Evangelista added.
City Mayor Hon. Albert Chua strengthened Director Evangelista’s points by emphasizing that farms such as Romaine Organic Farm are “blessings to the City of Batac”. “We hope that this kind of event could inspire all of us to see vast opportunities in the field of Agriculture in uplifting the lives of our people”, he said.
He also encouraged farmers and even the non-farming sectors of the society to help disseminate information on agricultural initiatives, especially on Organic Farming.