LSA validation of Sapadan O-masa (Garden for the Masses) Farm in Brgy Bonbonon, Iligan City. Owned, cultivated, and managed by father-daughter tandem Abdul Razid Pagadatan and Aslimah Pagadatan-Ibrahim, their venture to organic agriculture and natural farming can be attributed to Mr. Art and Gloria Fernando of Balay sa Hardin who taught them OA farming essentials. Our ATI colleagues bought some garden variety vegetables for consumption and to show their support to our Muslim farming community.
ATI Compound, Misamis Oriental---As per directive to increase the Learning Site for Agriculture (LSA) of the center as well as to empower the farmers and family farms, it is with this premise that innovative farmers provide extension services including technology transfer. The center extends technical assistance and financial support granted that these farms will continue to conduct trainings in their respective learning sites.
At the moment, the center through its Partnership and Accreditation Services Section (PASS) is already in the process of profiling and classifying new learning sites for 2020. Out of the 28 LSA applicants there were 13 farms which qualified to become an LSA of the center.
Some of the basic requirements include (1.) that the farm is an integrated and diversified and a specialized farm producing a specific commodity in sizable volume (2.) the farm or process owner is a graduate of ATI’s training courses and programs relevant to the operations of an LSA (3.) it has a practicum area to complement classroom and field learning (4.) has a venue for practical and hands-on learning site for immediate use (5.) has a visit area for other farmers, other rural community members, ATI’s training participants and others who are interested in agriculture and agri-products/by products processing.
The two-week LS validation transpired recently in the provinces of Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.