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 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—“Avoid eating food products that use colored plastic as packaging,” stressed Luis Bausa of Duran Farm Agribusiness and Training Center and Bausa Integrated Farm during the free seminar on product packaging and labeling.

Colored plastic packaging, Bausa explained, can be dangerous to people’s health as some particles can mix with the food inside.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—To impart proper and sustainable ways of fish farming and boost its industry, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) led a free seminar on fish production and processing.

In this event, the potentials of tilapia farming were discussed. Known as the “aquatic chicken” because of its high protein content and lower market price, tilapia has become the second widely cultivated fish species in the country.

DILIMAN, Quezon City—Cacao, which was first brought to the country in the 17th century, remains at the center of Filipino culture and is claiming its spot to be one of the biggest industries in the country today.