Lantapan, Bukidnon---The steady decline of Filipinos engage in farming and agriculture in general has been felt in the past years that farm produce also continue to dwindle. With an average age of 57, the farmer of today is having a hard time coping with the demands of the consumers in the country. Coupled with that predicament is the sharp decline of students enrolled particularly young students who want to get involved in agriculture.

Bent in countering the long term effects of such dilemma, the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center X (ATI-RTC X) has partnered with the Office of Senator Grace Poe via the Binhi ng Pag-Asa Program to empower the young Filipino farmers on sustainable agriculture.

The program aims to empower the young people to become competent agripreneur and to inspire them through leadership and values formation modules and in turn giving them confidence to undertake leadership positions and become productive and competent citizens. The main approach of the said program is to give the training to the local community level by localized training to each city/municipality of the identified provinces.

The program consists of an 11-part Module which include topics such as National Situation on Agriculture, Leadership and Values Formation, Social Media, Agriculture Advocacy, Inland Fish Culture, Introduction to Organic Farming, Diversified and Integrated Farming System, Vegetable Production, NFTS, and Farming as a Business; Understanding Markets and Marketability; and Developing a Vision, and Situation, Problem, Implication and Needs (SPIN) Workshop. The SPIN Workshop is meant to serve as platform in crafting programs for the youth to address the immediate needs of their respective farming communities.

At the Binahon Agroforestry Farm (BAFF), the young farmer participants who are all considered ambassadors of agriculture and agents of change were all exposed to farming immersions and farm tours.

Meanwhile, the training management staff representing the Office of Senator Grace Poe consists of Engr. Rosito Guiritan, Mr. Jayson Nabus, Ms. Sienna Martinez, and Mr. Gino S. Roldan. ATI-affiliated staff Mr. Mark Gregory B. Alovera, Ms. Jisa Tambiado, Mr. Leroy O. Gonzales, and Ms. Rojie L. Sicat rounded off the training management staff line-up as Project Management Officers while Ms. Cristine A. Galupo serves as the overall Project Officer. There will be 22 trainings to be conducted for Bukidnon while 26 trainings for Misamis Oriental. So far, two Training of Trainers (TOT) took place in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental with a target of conducting one training per municipality.

The training transpired on separate venues at Jocel’s Garden Suites in Valencia City, Bukidnon on July 31-August 2, 2017 and at Binahon Agroforestry Farm in Sungco, Lantapan, Bukidnon on August 1-3, 2017.

Monitoring of the project is slated to happen in November while for the month of December will be on project evaluation. The Binhi ng Pag-Asa Program which started last June 13, 2017 is up until December this year. (With reports from Cristine A. Galupo, DMO-I)