Organic agriculture scholarship grantees, farm partners and ATI personnel pose for a group photo during the MOA signing
REGIONWIDE. Eight grantees/trainees and four farm partners have signed their memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the ATI Central Visayas for the "Youth Scholarship Grant on Organic Farming" on March 27, 2023. The MOA signing was held in ATI RTC 7 Hall, Cabawan District, Tagbilaran City, Bohol.
There is farm partner in every province of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. The eight grantees/trainees will be paired to these farm partners based on the type of organic agriculture farming activity they will be doing: 3 from Bohol, 2 from Negros Oriental, 2 from Siquijor and 1 from Cebu.
Farm partners per province and the grantees:
| Province | Farm Partner | Trainees / Grantees |
| Bohol | Tree Topz Integrated Farm | Joshua T. Hinojales and Sheryl Lane Mar |
| Cebu | KR Integrated Friendly Farming Corporation | Bodjelin F. Tagupa and Jomar Goc-ong |
| Negros Oriental | Anahaw Integrated Farm | Joel Mahinay and Stella Labajo |
| Siquijor | Elnard Integrated Farm | Kharl Y. Templanza and Joventino L. Cuarteros Jr. |
The scholarship program aims to provide all-out support to the trainees until their enterprises are established and made profit to ensure sustainability and to boost their morale. This is a highly specialized internship program designed to instill and develop in the trainees an appreciation for organic agriculture.
This is a 21-month internship program for the youth to fully imbibe the “life of a farmer” and the organic practices. It comprises of:
- nine-month schooling and on-site training to the farm partners, and
- one-year hands-on practice and implementation of proposed organic enterprise.
The program is a collaborative effort between the DA-NOAP and the DA-ATI and shall be implemented nationwide. This is a pilot youth scholarship program, targeting youth farmers who are into organic farming. In the region, trainees have officially started with their internship program with the farm partners on March 29, 2023.
Moving on, the whole network of ATI eagerly looks forward to the success of the grantees/trainees on their scholarship journey.
