Central Visayas – Twenty-one (21) agricultural extension workers (AEWs) from Negros Oriental were trained on Internal Guarantee System (IGS) for organic farming. The training was held on 6 – 8 April 2021 at the Holy Family Formation Center, Bacong, Negros Oriental.

The training served as a venue to inform the extension workers about the Republic Act (RA) 11511, an amendment to RA 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010, and the updated Philippine National Standards for organic agriculture.

Republic Act (RA) 11511 will reinforce the national organic agricultural program and promote the consumption of organic products. It was stated in the act that the local government unit can form a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS). PGS – a locally focused quality assurance system – is now recognized as a credible and affordable way to certify organic produce. This will pave the way for the small farmers the right to label and market their produce as organic in a more cost-efficient way. Thus, it is indispensable for AEWs to be familiar with the product certification through the internal guarantee system.

Training participants learned about: basic principles of organic farming among the smaller groups; effective quality assurance tool; describe the Internal Control System (ICS) structure, personnel, criteria, requirements and duties and responsibilities; documentation process; and acknowledge the sanctions and violations for non-compliance to the organic agriculture standards.

The training also looked into gender and development (GAD) aspects. Here, both men and women agricultural extension workers were given equal opportunity to join and participate in the training. There were six females and 15 male attendees who successfully completed the three-day training.

The familiarity of AEWs about PGS, complemented with strong policy support from local government units, will support to sustain and enhance the growth of the organic agriculture industry in the country.

The training was facilitated by Ma. Gracia Soliva-Pungay, project officer, and assisted by Ryan Joshua Villena and Quennie Lou Vistal as members of the training management team. Invited resource persons were Janel Geconcillo and Angelina Bondad.