The Agricultural Training Institute-Central Luzon (ATI-CL) conducted the Online Information Caravan on Youth Internship Program on Organic Agriculture among youth and farmer partner applicants via Google Meet on February 19, 2024.
The Youth Internship Program on Organic Farming aims to encourage the youth, develop and train them to become organic farmers by heart and mind. Being a new program, ATI-CL conducted an information caravan to lay down the criteria, rules and procedures to avail the scholarship grants among the youth and farmer-partners in Central Luzon.
A total of 20 youth applicants and farm partners and agricultural extension workers attended the event. Ms. Zarah Jane Sendrijas, Organic Agriculture (OA) focal person of ATI-CL, served as the resource person of the activity. Ms. Sendrijas discussed the program description, goals and objectives, scope and coverage, eligibility criteria and documentary requirements, implementation and application procedures of the program. She also discussed the roles and responsibilities of youth scholars and farm partners.
As an agreement, the interested applicants will submit their application forms and documents on February 23, 2024.
Among the interested applicants, the Regional Screening, Selection and Evaluation Committee (RSSEC), headed by Dr. Joey A. Belarmino, with its members Ms. Joy Daguro, OA Focal Person of DA-RFO III, Zarah Jane N. Sendrijas OA Focal Person of ATI-CL, Elsa Victoria, Chief of CDMS and Ms. Reinalyn C. Gulen,OIC- Chief of PAS, conducted a series of activities which include desk evaluation and field validation to ensure that the youth and farm partners are qualified and have the capacity and capability to deliver their task speculated in the guidelines. To expedite the process of field validation and scrutinize the applicants of the program, different staff from Career Development Management Section and Partnerships and Accreditation Section were also involved.
Ms. Elsa Victoria and Zarah Jane Sendrijas conducted field validation on March 5-11, 2024 for 6 farm partner applicants and 16 youth interns applicants across the region.
Based on the field validation, only 5 farm partners and 10 youth interns were endorsed to the National Screening, Selection and Evaluation Committee.
The said program is a collaborative effort between the DA-NOAP and the DA-ATI and shall be implemented nationwide. The program targets youth, enjoining women, out-of-school youth, and degree holders and farm partners coming from different provinces practicing chemical-free and/or organic farming system, as beneficiaries.
