SAN NICOLAS, Pangasinan - Twenty-seven (27) farmers heartily received their certificates of graduation on the 15th of December 2017 as proof of participating in the Season-Long Farmer Field School on Integrated Pest Management for Tomato Production in Barangay Sobol, San Nicolas, Pangasinan.
Through the 16-week long program, the farmer-students were able to learn about Integrated Pest Management on lowland vegetable production specifically on tomato production. This was grounded on the concept of Good Agricultural Practices, which was designed to improve farmers’ decision-making in producing economical, social and environment-friendly food.
San Nicolas Municipal Councilor Mario Marzo, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, said that the Local Government of San Nicolas together with the farmers of Barangay Sobol were grateful for the free training on tomato production especially since tomato is a valued crop not only in the Philippines but in other countries.
“We should be grateful that we have learned tomato production properly through this farmer field school. We should be grateful to the people and the agencies who had put this together for I believe that whatever we have learned, we could apply for the good of our families and our community,” he said.
Moreover, ATI-RTC I Center Director Rogelio C. Evangelista inspired everyone who attended the commencement ceremony when he mentioned the benefits of conducting such programs through a participatory approach, and the benefits of learning and sharing how to maximize all available land resources we have for sustainable agriculture.
Evangelista also emphasized that there is no age in education. He quoted what Henry Ford said: “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning is considered young even when one is 60.”
The Season-Long Farmer Field School on Integrated Pest Management for Tomato Production was implemented through the collaboration of the Local Government Unit of San Nicolas, Pangasinan and ATI-RTC I.