THE Technical Education Skills Development Authority (Tesda) launched three farm schools in Benguet in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy pronouncement to provide available and affordable food for the people of the country.
Tesda–Benguet provincial director Angela Gabriel said the government allotted P500 million for the development of farm schools nationwide with Cordillera Administrative Region getting P7 million while Benguet gets P2 million.
Some 50 slots are reserved for each of the three schools selected and accredited farm schools by Tesda where they will embark on a 29-day hands-on and discovery training set for the program.
“For us, this is a dream come true. We have envisioned this since 2007, not at a snail pace of only giving trainings but we would like to go up to a higher level of training farmers interested in organic farming especially because I think this is the best alternative for agricultural production,” Said Tesda-CAR regional director Francisco Jucar.
The batch enrolled in organic agriculture production NCII at the Lilly Valley Organic Farms in Ampasit, Pugius, La Trinidad, will begin their orientation Friday, June 16, while training and lectures begin on June 17.
The same program will also be offered at Cosmic Farms in Caban, Beckel while the Masters Garden in Lamtang offers practical organic gardening.
Target beneficiaries of the schools are farmers and fisherfolks and their relatives up to the 4th level of kin and members of the community of the farm school.
“The idea here is to encourage the next generations of farmers to continue on with the work,” explains Rogel Marzan of Cosmic Farms.
The creation of school farms is pursuant to House Bill No. 05659 where it is believed the development and institutionalization of farm schools in the country is important in its economic growth and development to ensure food security especially since the Philippines is an agricultural country.
It is also believed farm schools can fill the gap in the mismatch of economy and education. (Shaura Elaine Cuyan/UC intern)