SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur – Aside from encouraging the youth to engage in agriculture, ATI also empowers the young farmers to be entrepreneur. It endeavors to equip them not only with production technologies but the whole value chain from production to post harvest, processing and marketing their produce for them to see that farming is a business.

Selected 4-H club members from the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur composed the 1st batch of trainees for the Training on Agripreneurship for Young Farmers conducted last September 24-27, 2019 at Mabe’s Savory Place.

Setting the mindset of young generations has always been a challenge. However, the Resource Person Mr. Frederick Blancas used dynamic and interactive methodologies in imparting his knowledge and expertise on social entrepreneurship, basic marketing, innovation and branding to sustain their interest. The participants were also taught on business planning and financial literacy. They also identified and analyzed the key areas affecting business through their exercises on Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. In addition, they formulated their vision, mission and proposed business models in their respective locality.

To boost appreciation in farming, the participants were exposed to certified Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSA) in Agusan del Sur particularly in Jinayon Duck Farm, Hillsview Farm and VPO Agro-Industry Corporation. There they gained first hand information on the best practices and experiences shared by the LSA cooperators.

With this training, ATI hoped that more young people will engage in farming as a promising enterprise.