ATI Region 6, some scholars, and a farm partner, signed the Memorandum of Agreement during the Opening Program, marking the beginning of a partnership committed to increasing the number of organic agriculture practitioners in the region.
BANGA, Aklan – Eleven successful interns and five farm partners were gathered at the Youth Scholarship Grant on Organic Farming kick-off last March 29-30, 2023, at the 4-H Building, ATI Region 6 compound. The agency conducted the Orientation, Memorandum of Agreement Signing, and Deployment of Interns during the two-day activity.
The Regional Scholarship Selection Committee formally welcomed the Scholarship participants on March 29. A systematic rundown of activities and paperwork was accomplished to admit the interns and farm partners into the program.
Mary Ann A. Ramos, OIC-Center Director, congratulated all participants who qualified for the scholarship opportunity. "We have chosen the best. The interns are very lucky because many applicants pursued the program. The chosen Farm Partners are also promising. The interns will certainly learn a lot from them. I encourage all to make the most out of it," she stressed.
Vianney T. Ojerio, Officer-in-Charge of PAS, and Flor M. Mortalla, Organic Agriculture Focal Person, facilitated the orientation and workshop on finalizing the internship plan. At the end of the session, the body participated in an Open Forum, and specific agreements were acknowledged, especially between the farm partners and their designated interns.
The formal send-off of the interns followed on March 30.
"Patience is the key," said Mortalla during her Closing remarks. "Give your best and do not settle for less," she advised the interns.
The interns will be deployed to the farm partners' Learning Sites for nine months and will implement their Business Plans then after for 12 months.
The youth interns hail from the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental. Meanwhile, farm partners are from Aklan, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
The group is Western Visayas' pioneer batch of scholars and farm partners.
