Two books featuring selected farmers and farm products in Region 10 were launched on June 25, 2019 at Macapagal Hall, City Tourism Office, Sitio Timoga, Buru-un, Iligan City. This endeavor was made to encourage more people to go into farming and for consumers to patronize products from farms.
Gastronomica, is a celebration of mouthwatering dishes of twenty (20) selected ATI accredited Learning Sites in Northern Mindanao. This is a farm-to-plate concept that the Department of Agriculture has been advocating as a value-adding measure for farmers so that they would earn more and have a wider market leverage . Gastronomica came at the heels of two books that were published by ATI-RTC X, Bahandi 1 and Bahandi 2. Bahandi is a collection of stories of successful farmers who are partners of ATI in delivering agricultural extension to fellow farmers.

The 2nd book, “From Arms to Farm” chronicles the lives of twenty five (25) former rebels who have become progressive farmers. Twelve were former NPA Commanders from Plaridel, Misamis Occidental. Thirteen were former Muslim Kumanders who gave up their arms to till their relatively bare but fertile farmlands. The book was published by the Agricultural Training Institute.

The activity was attended by no less than Dir. Alfredo S. Aton of the Agricultural Training Institute, Center Directors and Information Services staff from ATI Central Office and other ATI Regional Training Centers in Mindanao and Region IV A in Luzon, beneficiaries of the “From Arms to Farm” program from Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte, National and Local Media, ATI Learning Site cooperators, Local Government of Iligan City and other government partners. The activity ended with a Pagana Maranao, a fitting celebration usually by our Maranao brothers to cap a very successful activity.