ATI Compound, El Salvador City---We raise our flag proudly as one of our LS partners, Reynaldo “Datu Makadingding” Gil G. Lomarda of GreenMinds Incorporated was recently in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for the “Organic Agroindustry Development Leadership Course in Asia”.

Mr. Lomarda along with fellow delegate Mr. Guillermo F. Saret Jr. of Saret Organic Farmville studied specific approaches to Organic Agriculture, shared their best practices as an organic practitioner and Learning Site operator/Extension Service Provider (ESP), and upgraded knowledge on the direction of organic agriculture industry on a global level.

As CEO of GreenMinds Inc., Mr. Lomarda specializes in Inclusive Business, Social Enterprise, Community Development, Green Technologies and Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSP). He is the proprietor of Umanika Eco Cultural Farm and is an accredited inspector of the Organic Certification Center of the Philippines (OCCP). His profession as an Agriculturist and a practicing organic farmer also qualified him to represent the country.

GreenMinds Incorporated is a people-oriented and self-sustaining non-government organization committed to the preservation and protection of the environment. With its various training packages, it promotes innovative and appropriate ecological farming technologies. Through these and its different advocacy programs, the organization aims to improve and uplift the lives of the marginalized farmers and indigenous communities that it serves.

Based from the leadership course, Mr. Lomarda in his report have recommended the following: (1.) Invite the grantees to talk on their experience and its relevance to promoting organic agriculture. Specifically target the students or younger generation to encourage them to go into organic agriculture. (2.) Monitor the action plans of the grantees so as to create a “Before and After project” scenario that will encourage involvement in the APO projects further. An Action Plan is also recommended to disseminate the knowledge gained to others to generate multiplier effect.

19 organic agriculture practitioners attended from different countries such as Bangladesh, Fiji Island, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, Iran, Vietnam and The Philippines.

The “Organic Agroindustry Development Leadership Course in Asia” intends to create a lasting shift from conventional to an organic mindset of farmers through “learning by doing” approach and to stir up public support and active involvement of stakeholders through compelling policies and regulations. The event transpired on September 9 to 13, 2019 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.