MANILA—The e-Learning for Agriculture and Fisheries program, which is managed by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), was awarded as finalist in the Government Best Practice Recognition (GBPR) program of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) for 2019.

The recognition highlights the program’s important role in enhancing access to agricultural knowledge in the Philippines, especially in this digital age. Information Services Division (ISD) chief Antonieta Arceo and Information Technology Officer Joeven Calasagsag received the award on behalf of the Institute.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—With its mission to empower and build capacities of agriculture and fisheries stakeholders for sustainable development, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) conducted over 20 free seminars in 2019.

Spearheaded by the Partnerships and Accreditation Division (PAD), the seminar series on crops, livestock, fisheries, and urban agriculture has benefited thousands of attendees from all over the country.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—To boost the efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to promote urban agriculture as an easy household activity and a source of healthy, nutritious, and safe food, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) held a harvest festival in its demo farm.

With the theme "Gulayan sa Bakuran, Kayamanan ng Bawat Tahanan,” the event gave ATI employees the opportunity to pick and take home fresh vegetables such as lettuce, pechay, ampalaya, and herbs from the “ATIng Gulayan ng DA” demo farm.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—To provide knowledge in successful mushroom farming technologies, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) offered a free seminar showcasing cultivation practices and processing of various species of this commodity.

Among the species commonly cultivated are straw and oyster mushrooms. To provide tips on how to successfully grow these, Marilou Facun, mushroom grower and owner of the Tingtano Integrated Farm, served as resource person during the seminar.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—As the demand for herbs and spices grows, farmers continue to maximize the income-generating opportunities that this industry has to offer.

“Planting herbs and spices is a good business enterprise. You can be competitive if you have your own farm but the size doesn’t matter since you can also do vertical or containerized farming,” Luis Bausa, owner and president of Bausa Integrated Farm in Bulacan, said.

QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila—To encourage urban residents to grow their own food at home and ensure food security for their families, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) conducted a free seminar on edible landscaping.

Speakers during the event were Architect Patricia Regalado and Fely Sadio of Flor's Garden, an ATI-certified Learning Site on organic agriculture in Antipolo, Rizal. They shared information about the components, functions, and benefits of edible landscaping.