Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon---Showcasing knowledge sharing and benchmarking which intended to expose and immerse participants to the different Learning Sites (LS) of Northern Mindanao, a group of farmers from Siquijor recently did their expository tour on organic farms in the region.
“One of our interventions to our Learning Site partners here in the region is that we have immersed and involved them in social technology trainings. Their farming background is sufficient to qualify and make them as co-conduit of knowledge and farming technologies through our Resource Person Development course. Micro-teaching in their farm enabled them to gain confidence and improve their oral presentation skills as well as their skills in public speaking. It is through continuous learning that we sustain our small brother-big brother partnership.
Another one is training management, since we now conduct most of our trainings in our learning sites, it is necessary that our LS partners also know how our training activities work and that soon they can conduct such trainings on their own. We also taught them how to come up with a training design, albeit a simple one regarding the farming technologies and other good farming technologies in their respective farm sites.
Lastly, we want all of our farmer partners to be entrepreneurs. There is an added advantage in terms of sourcing other income in the farm if one is a Learning Site partner of ATI. The farm produce, value-added products, entrance fee, and as a resource person, they all sum up as viable source to augment our farmers’ income”, OIC-Center Director Maria Lydia A. Echavez said in her dialogue with the farmer participants.
As a result of the activity, the learnings gained by the farmer participants will be cascaded to other LS-owners of Region-VII and that the children of the farm-owners should be taught about being inclusive to the community they belong by reaching to others. The said farm tour transpired last July 31-August 3 in selected LS in Bukidnon. One of the farms visited was Alomah's Place in Dahilayan, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon with a farm guide coming from the Provincial Planning Office of Misamis Oriental. The said expository tour was organized by Mr. Reynaldo Gil “Datu Makadingding” Lomarda of GreenMinds Incorporated with the initiative to let the Siquijor farmers experience a farming immersion as well as meet the farm owners of the LS visited. (with reports from Cristine A. Galupo, Agriculturist II)