Participants conduct a mock inspection as a peer review of the farm of Alvin Barrios, Jr. in Malinao, Aklan.
BANGA, Aklan – ATI Region 6’s Organic Agriculture Program accommodated its first batch of trainees last March 6-15, 2023, during the Training of Trainers on the Installation of Operations Manual for Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Core Group and AEWs (OA Focal) at ATI Training Hall.
In the 10-day course of lectures and workshops, participants learned about the Organic Agriculture Act, its amendments, the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), Organic Agriculture Standards and the National List of Permitted Substances for Organic Agriculture, Establishment and Operation of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), Accreditation of Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) Groups as Organic Certifying Bodies, Peer Review, and Certification Protocols. At the end of the training, the participants established the Operations Manual and Internal Standard that serve as PGS certifying body.
Seventeen participants from six Organic Practitioners Associations and Agricultural Extension Workers from the three provinces, namely Aklan, Capiz, and Antique, attended. The said training supports the quality assurance initiatives that follow the production-to-consumption approach in providing guarantees on the integrity and quality of the organic products.
This activity aims to have a unified understanding of the provision of PGS and capacitate the AEWs (OA Focal) and organized farmers on the establishment and operations of PGS groups consistent with the organic agriculture standards and corresponding technical regulations.
