TRENTO, Agusan del Sur – With more farmers getting better equipped in growing cacao, future of this crop looks bright in the town of Trento. Thanks to the Farmers’ Field School (FFS) that was recently conducted here where twenty-nine (29) farmers learned the techniques towards increasing cacao production in the locality.

The specific objectives why the said activity was conducted were: to empower the participants with knowledge and skills to make them experts in the field, to make critical and informed decisions toward a profitable and sustainable farming, sensitized with new ways of thinking and problem solving, and to organize themselves and their community.

Among the topics discussed during the 16-week schooling were the soil and climatic requirement of cacao, nursery establishment, cultural management, pests and diseases management, harvesting, good agriculture practices (GAP), climate change, agro-ecosystem analysis (AESA), cacao genetics, farm management and establishment.

“I am very thankful for my participation in this FFS on cacao. We have benefited from ATI’s assistance. We never regretted the four months of coming here in the FFS. It was never a waste of time and effort because we learned a lot. This endeavor will not be successful without the partnership of this agencies: BLGU, LGU, PLGU, ATI and DA. Sometimes, our problem as farmers is that we are not engaging ourselves in different activities because we think that it will delay our farm activities. We are only a few who are here because others are not willing to give time. Some farmers don’t engage with activities like this, the truth, they remain the poorest of the poor. All of us should participate, in whatever activities here in our village because all help from the agencies will go down to the barangay,” expressed Joel Coraza, a farmer-cooperator from Brgy. Langkilaan.

The said FFS started last April 12, 2018 and ended on September 21, 2018. (With reports form Engr. Joel Laure)