TACLOBAN City, Leyte - The National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), has launched the Youth Internship Program on Organic Agriculture (YIPOA) in March 2023. This 21-month internship initiative is designed to engage young people in organic agriculture by providing them with both practical experience and the necessary skills to manage their own organic agriculture (OA) based enterprises. The program consists of a nine-month on-farm internship with selected farm partners, followed by a 12-month period dedicated to implementing their proposed OA-based enterprise plans.
During the initial nine-month phase, both the interns and farm partners receive a monthly stipend and mentoring fee of PhP5,000.00 each. Upon successful completion of this phase and the approval of their business plans, interns are granted PhP150,000.00 as start-up support. This funding is intended to cover various costs related to their business operations, such as site rental, equipment, and agricultural supplies, all under the guidance of their farm partners.
In Eastern Visayas, 21 interns are currently participating in the program, assigned across eight different farm partners. To ensure that interns are equipped to develop viable and sustainable business plans, ATI Regional Training Center 8 (ATI RTC 8) conducted a three-day Training on drafting Business Enterprise Plan on August 6-8, 2024, at La Granja de Reyna Farm in Tacloban City, Leyte. The training aims to enhance the interns' knowledge and skills in developing comprehensive business enterprise plans that are essential for securing the start-up capital.
Throughout the training, various experts shared their insights. Ms. Junalyn C. Palco, ATI RTC 8’s Training Specialist I, introduced the interns to Filipino values related to financial literacy. Ms. Graciel V. Gacutan, ATI RTC 8’s Organic Agriculture Focal Person, discussed the intricacies of farm business and the factors that influence productivity and profitability. Meanwhile, Mr. Christian Keruel Y. Laurente, ATI-RTC 8’s Information Officer II, discussed marketing, emphasizing the importance to identify a product’s unique selling points (USPs) and understanding the target market. Ms. Lor Fatima Bucatcat from DA-RFO 8 also added important inputs about the components of enterprise plan. As part of this session, the participants conducted a quick market survey at Tacloban City Public Market to gauge consumer preferences and the acceptability of their chosen products.
The training also included workshops where the interns, with the assistance of their farm partners, drafted their OA-based enterprise plans. The mentors shared their personal experiences in transforming their farms into successful enterprises, providing valuable lessons for the interns. To motivate the participants further, the mentors
announced prizes for the best farm plan, vision, and goal, with awards ranging from cash prizes to heritage chickens and rabbits.
Interns are expected to submit their farm plans, visions, and goals on August 14, 2024. While enterprise plans are due for review and comments on September 15, 2024 with the final presentations scheduled in October 2024.
The participants expressed their gratitude for the training, highlighting the new insights they gained. Mr. Jimboy Montecillo remarked, "The training is very informative. Even though I have experience making proposals, the learnings I gained will guide us in making our enterprise profitable. The fundamentals of the business cycle, the characteristics of farmer entrepreneurs, and the market survey are all important factors in making our farming a successful business."
Mr. Jaylou Bohol, another intern, shared his appreciation for the program, stating, "As a young farmer who always hopes to get away from poverty, I am very thankful to the Youth Internship Program for Organic Agriculture. I am not only learning practical techniques and skills in organic farming but also how to become a farmer entrepreneur. After this training, I realized that in business, we should focus not only on income but also on diagnosis, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of our enterprise."
The YIPOA program is setting the stage for a new generation of farmer-entrepreneurs in Eastern Visayas, equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the organic agriculture sector.
