LOS ANGELES, Butuan City - The Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 13 through the Organic Agriculture program (OAP) successfully hosted the 1st Regional Kabataang OA Quiz Bee last August 30, 2019.

Participants were students enrolled in Agriculture and related courses from Caraga State University (CSU), Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology (ASSCAT), Surigao State College of Technology (SSCT) - Mainit campus, and, Surigao del Sur State University (SDSSU) San Miguel and Tagbina campus.

It was not just an arena to challenge the participants and expand their knowledge and understanding in Organic Agriculture. More importantly, it is a way to help boost enrollment in agriculture and related fields and encourage the youth to actively engage in farming particularly in Organic Agriculture in response to aging farmers being one of the challenges that agriculture is facing today.

In his message, OIC Center Director Samuel L. Calonzo recognized the support of partner-SUCs and the respective coaches in ATI’s OAP advocacy. OA program coordinator/Project Officer Mary Jane A. Gonzaga presented the overview of the activity.

The quiz bee consisted of three rounds namely Easy, Moderate and Difficult rounds covering topics on Organic Agriculture Act, Basic Principle of Organic Agriculture, Philippine National Standards, concoctions and extracts and fertilizer production and crops production, Livestock and Poultry Production, and, current events related to OA.

Ms. Donna Marie V. Mirabel of SSCT-Mainit campus was hailed champion and will represent the region in the National Quiz Bee on November 11-15, 2019 in Tagaytay City. Other awardees are the following: Enrilou R. Salas of CSU (2nd place); Geneva O. Gloria of SSCT (3rd place): Peter G. Dumandan of SSCT (4th place); Rocille B. Francisco of SSCT (5th place). Winners received corresponding cash prizes and medal. All contestants also received a certificate of participation.

One of the participants from ASSCAT expressed that even though she and her team failed to reach the final round, they ‘re still grateful for the experience and additional knowledge gained from the quiz bee. She confessed that she ended up enrolling agriculture after missing the requirements set by the other courses in their school. She said having attended to activities such as this gradually changed her mindset into taking agriculture by heart.

“I hope that your interests in agriculture will go beyond graduation and eventually be engaged in farming,” Calonzo said in closing.

OIC Samuel Calonzo said that the quiz bee will now become an annual event and hopefully the prizes will be upgraded by next year with participants having graduated from e-learning courses offered by ATI. ATI believed that the youth can be a vital force for innovation in farming and attaining agricultural development.