Cugman, CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY---Twenty-one farmer participants recently graduated from the Training on Agripreneurship conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center X (ATI-RTC X) through its Career Development and Management Section (CDMS). The majority of them are graduates of Farmer Field School (FFS) under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Service Program (RCEF-RESP) and have the potential to become agripreneurs.
Section 13 of RA11203 or the Rice Trade Liberalization/Deregulation Law highlights the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement-Rice Extension Service Program (RCEF-RESP) or Extension Component to offer free training programs on rice farming technologies and shall be supplemented and complemented with enterprise development assistance and communication support services, where practicable. This is to improve farmers’ knowledge, attitude, and skills not only on modernized inbred rice/seed production but also agripreneurship skills to be competitive and to increase their income.
MPS II and GAD Alternate Focal Person Joshua B. Mercado serves as RP on Gender and Development: Enhancing Roles of Each Member of the Family in Building a Farm Enterprise. He explained to the participants the importance of GAD since both women and men are involved in agriculture globally, their roles differ significantly by region and are changing rapidly. Gender shapes access to productive resources and opportunities, with women having less access to many assets, inputs, and services across a wide range of contexts. These gender differences in resources and opportunities shape the agricultural sector across different types of farming systems. Gender refers to relations between men and women, not an exclusive focus on women.
Alternate Rice Coordinator and Technical Support Staff IV Reymard M. Galarrita discussed the concepts, principles, and components of the rice-based farming system. Each participant has submitted their own Palayamanan Farm Model which will serve as their blueprint that shows how their farms will be enhanced.
With the recent challenges that the pandemic has brought, including globalization and market liberalization, food price crises, natural resource depletion, climate change, rapid urbanization, changing production and consumption patterns, demographic changes, and so on, the farmers are challenged to provide what the market wants and what satisfies the consumers. Many of these directly or indirectly lead to changing markets, and create both opportunities and risks for farmers. Thus, the decisions that the farmers face today have become more complex. Skills in agripreneurship are critical among farmers that will allow them to optimize the use of their resources and improve their decision-making in the use of resources.
Development Management Officer II Jhoylie Mae R. Caumban discussed Farming as a Business and The Farmer as an Agripreneur.
Meanwhile, Farm Business School (FBS) Focal Person/Chief-AFU Efren C. Macario served as the resource person for the topics Developing a Farm Vision and Objectives, Farm Business Profitability, Understanding Marketing and Markets, Choosing Enterprise for the Farm, and Components of a Farm Business Plan.
OIC-ACD/Chief-CDMS Noemi Beth G. Macario delivered the topic on value-adding (Importance of Labelling, Packaging, and Costing). At the end of the module, each participant was able to prepare their vision statement and farm business plan.
Vice President of SAFEGCC Farm, Inc. Marivic Tagupa shared with the participants the topic “Exploring Opportunities in Rice-based Farming System”. The participants appreciated the guided farm tour at SAFEGCC farm and together with her husband Mr. Victorio Tagupa and son Vic Jason, they were able to elaborate on the advantages of maximizing various farm resources to earn more income.
Exploring the readily-available Agri Information Communication Technology Tools “AgRiTools” such as Rice Crop Manager, Binhing Palay, Rice Knowledge Bank, Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank, among others was delivered by Mr. Galarrita.
TSS IV Angelli C. Doña discussed Basic Digital Marketing. Also known as online marketing, digital marketing is the promotion and selling of products to potential customers online by using the power of social media, email, text messages, and multimedia messages as marketing tools.
Identifying Risks along the Value Chain and Risk Management was discussed by Ms. Macario
Alternate RCEF-RESP Coordinator Bryan Jay V. Cabugwason discussed the Rice and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies. (reported by Jhoylie Mae R. Caumban, Development Management Officer II)
