The Agricultural Training Institute Regional - Training Center 02 (ATI-RTC 02) orchestrated Katutubong Kaagapay, Likas at Luntiang Pamumuhay: Training on Bio Intensive Gardening for Indigenous People (IP) in Barangay Keat, Nagtipunan, Quirino, on July 29-31, 2024.

The training aimed to enhance the participants’ knowledge, skills, and attitude in Bio-Intensive Gardening which can become a potential source of income and for household food sufficiency. Also, the training served as an avenue for their organization to be strengthened to make more cohesive, dynamic, and active partners of the government.

Forty-five participants from the Bugkalot and Ifugao tribe members in the mountainous area of Keat, Nagtipunan, Quirino attended the training.  Participants underwent lecture on the topics on importance and techniques in bio-intensive gardening, FAITH Gardening, soil amendments, composting and Vermicomposting.

Bio-intensive is a broad range of techniques for producing a large amount of food in a limited amount of area. The concept is based on nutrient-rich soil that can sustain crop spacing, which lowers the need for resources and manual labor. No matter the size of the homestead, it aims for a closed-loop system and includes animals, compost, and beneficial insects.

Few vegetables grow in the backyards of the community members due to the small and terrain of the area they own.  For this reason, members in the community would benefit from the practice of bio-intensive gardening.

Mr. JanMark G. Lawi, a member of the Bugkalot tribe, expressed his thanks to the ATI and assured that he will apply the learnings he gained from the training. “I want to start by expressing my gratitude to ATI-RTC for coming to our remote barrio. I've gained a lot of knowledge, which we may apply to our garden. I have also discovered that it is far better to prioritize the vegetables you grow, especially if you know what fertilizers you use,” Lawi said.

The training was an effort to support Republic Act 8371 otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997, which sets out the legal framework for the rights of the indigenous peoples. The government is making every effort to give IPs opportunity for development and progress that will improve their standard of living.

As the Department of Agriculture's catalyst, capacity builder, and knowledge bank, the Agricultural Training Institute - Regional Training Center 02 is one of the many organizations that also offers opportunities and supports to the IPs. ATI would like to empower the IPs to use contemporary agricultural technologies by means of its capability-building program.