BAYBAY CITY, Leyte. –Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center 8, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Office 8 (DA RFO 8), conducted its first Gulayans sa Bayan training, where participants were trained to effectively implement and harness mainstreaming of the management of community-based vegetable gardens and nurseries under the GSB program by applying sustainable agricultural practices, thereby engaging their communities in nutrition-sensitive gardening.
Participants were equipped with knowledge and skills in vegetable production, particularly in seedling production and grafting, prepared soil medium, seed sowing, and grafting (Kamlong and Ampatola).
During the hands-on activities, participants were provided with PPE and the necessary materials, such as seedlings, seeds, seedling trays, garden soil, vermicast, carbonized rice hull, grafting blades, and improvised grafting chambers. They were allowed to take their outputs home after the training.
Through the GSB project, RIC participants will be provided in vegetable production and nursery management. Re-entry plans were prepared by each association after the training. Most action plans involved sending a letter of intent to the DA to avail of the GSP assistance program and re-echoing the information to members who were unable to attend the training.
Ms. Marites Salvaña, Member of SPFA, Tanauan, Leyte, shared, “Damo, damo nga salamat han mga program yana ha gobyerno kay pina-ura nga duro kita nga mga farmers. Siring pa nga kun bisan anhon ka magkarit an mga professionals, need gihapon an farmers han pang adlaw-adlaw nga panginabuhi. Kay pagmata pala natun ha aga, an ginpapamiling natun dayun is kape nga tikang diin— ha farmers. Pamahaw, mangangalayo kita, pagprepare para han aton estudyante, tikang diin an bugas, isda, utan— ha farmers. So sanglit kita nga mga farmers, ayaw kita kaawod nga farmers kita. Ha damo-damuan nga farmers, hi kita yana an swerte nga naka attend ngan nahibaro han bag-o nga sistema o pamaagi han pagpanguma , han mga high-tech nga sistema han agrikultura. As a chairman of MAFC of Tanauan Leyte, I will disseminate or re-echo my learnings han iba pa nga mga farmers. Dako ini nga dadangatan an kahibaro nga ginhatag haaton hit gobyerno nga sana kada tagsa ha aton diri natun himuson an aton mga kahibaro yana, i-share naton ha mga farmers nga diri naka attender hini nga training. Hoping nga sana in the future mayda liwat mga trainings para han mga mangingisda like training related han tilapia.”
The participants accomplished the following: mixed growing media, grafted vegetables placed in an improvised chamber (kamlong and Ampatola), sown vegetable seeds, and developed a re-entry plan to be monitored six months after the training.
A total of 30 participants completed the Gulayan sa Bayan: Cultivating Sustainability Through Vegetable Production on November 19-21, 2025 at ATI-RTC 8, VSU Campus, Baybay City, Leyte.
