BAYBAY CITY, Leyte - The Agricultural Training Institute - Regional Training Center 8 continues the conduct of capacity building for Agro-Enterprise Clustering to capacitate smallholder farmers into cohesive groups to achieve economies of scale. By consolidating their produce and resources, these clusters transition from subsistence farming toward a more competitive, market-driven business mindset. This collective strategy significantly strengthens the bargaining power of farmers, allowing them to negotiate better prices with large-scale buyers and institutional markets. In the same way, clusters become the service point for government intervention.
Further, the training aims to enhance the participants’ practical knowledge and skills on farm cluster development using the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (AECA).
Participants were able to gain knowledge about the MASAGANA Rice Industry Development Program and its core strategies, and gained insights into collective marketing using the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach
Ms. Myrna H. Sugbo, one of the participants, is grateful to be parto of the training. “Salamat han taga DA-ATI gintagaan mi ug opportunity ani na training, at the same time nakabaro kami sa paagi han clustering. Ang ato pagka-farmers diri ra ordinary farming, pwede gihapon gamiton han negosyo para ma-improve atong kinabuhi tagsa-usa. Nagpasalamat ako han mga speaker pag-share sa ila knowledge para amon ma-improve among kaugalingon as a farmer dinhi han Sta. Fe, Leyte.”
Participants accomplished the forms that are vital in establishing a cluster, including the production module, cluster supply plan, and market chain map as their outputs from the workshops. Further, they were able to identify the different market actors present in their community through the Cluster Mapping.
Mr. Ivan Losadio, BDO of F2C2 Program, has emphasized that interest, willingness and cooperation of each member will be the first step in starting and sustaining a cluster.
After this AECA training, participants will undergo the Training on Crafting of Cluster Development Plan for Rice Clusters Phase 1 and Phase 2 on June 8-12, 2026, and August 3-7, 2026, respectively.
A total of 32 participants completed the Transcending the Benefit of Consolidation: A Training on Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (Batch 2) (Social Technology) on March 16-20, 2026, at ATI-RTC 8, VSU Campus, Baybay City, Leyte.
