QUEZON CITY, Metro Manila – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is set to launch a project that aims to boost the government’s thrust on food availability and affordability, in partnership with the Learning Sites (LS) supported by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI).

In a meeting with ATI officials led by Deputy Director Alfredo Aton, together with the training center superintendents, DA Assistant Secretary for Livestock Enrico Garzon, Jr. disclosed plans of tapping LS all over the country for a backyard poultry and livestock production project. Under this project, the Bureau of Animal Industry will provide an initial stock of 50 native chickens or ducks or 10 heads of gilts to selected LS cooperators. These LS will provide the area, feeds, maintenance, and proper monitoring and recording of the project. More importantly, they will also serve as demo sites for poultry and livestock technologies and practices.

“This is to encourage the other farmers to replicate the adopted practices in their own backyard,” Deputy Director Aton said.

The initial LS cooperators chosen for the project are also expected then turn over similar quantity of stocks to the next batch of cooperators, and so on. For the native chicken or ducks, repayment will start after one year of production cycle while, for the swine, it will start after two years.

The pilot testing of the project is expected to begin this year, with two LS every region. The ATI-International Training Center on Pig Husbandry will consolidate all the recommendations from each region. The Institute is also set to draft the guidelines of the project before the year ends.

“This project will also serve as a way for our farmers to have additional income especially as they wait for harvest season,” Deputy Director Aton added.

The said meeting took place on August 2, 2017 at the ATI Serrano Hall in this city.