LA PAZ, Agusan del Sur – Thirty-four farmers in Brgy. Bataan this municipality finished the 16-week Farmers Field School on Cacao Production which started last April 17, 2018 and ended last September 27, 2018.

Specifically, the FFS on Cacao aimed 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.

Participants learned about cacao’s soil and climatic requirement, 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.

During the closing program, Anatalio Enggay, one of the farmer-participant from Brgy Bataan only had good things to say about the training. “Thank you for this opportunity to ATI who sponsored this training. For 16 weeks we were weary, yet we persevered because we want to learn a lot. We can identify now the different pests. That is why, I am very happy, because now, we received facilities for our cacao. We just inspected the site for the fermentation boxes and the lumber for the construction of the Solar dryer have just arrived. And tomorrow will be the installation of the grinder. God did prepare them for us. And so now, it is our duty to continue what we have learned, so that the 16 weeks will not be wasted. And so I can say that Bataan is very blessed, because we have received a lot of projects from our government. We have to take care of our cacao, we should apply all what we have learned. But as Engr. Laure has said, it is not that we plan today and will get it tomorrow; we may receive it for years, but we should continue. We have to make it well, the things that we have learned, let us share them to others; for they are many who have planted cacao but did not have trainings like we have. Education is a long process, that is why we have to continue to study, and be patient with the length of time. In Agriculture, surely there is future.” (with reports from Engr. Joel Laure)