Showcasing the Uniqueness of Cordilleran Organic Agriculture: La Trinidad’s Cosmic Farm Hosts DA ASec Laciste and Team from DA-Wide Field Inspectorate

Thu, 11/17/2022 - 10:28

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET. Mr. Rogel Marsan of the Cosmic Farm, together with his family, received DA Assistant Secretary for the DA-Wide Field Inspectorate Federico E. Laciste, Jr and his team for a visit at their farm in Caban, Beckel, La Trinidad, Benguet on March 19, 2022. The farm visit provided the team with an overall view of some of the DA’s extension modalities being implemented in the Cordillera Administrative Region through the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center-Cordillera Administrative Region (ATI-RTC-CAR) in partnership with the DA-Regional Field Office-CAR (DA-RFO-CAR), local government units, and other stakeholders.

LacisteVisit_to_Cosmic

As Mr. Marsan showed the team around his farm, he also shared their farming practices and technologies that they have either adopted or developed including their notable experiences and accomplishments as a farming family. He then highlighted their partnership journey with the DA in the delivery of extension services in the community through the ATI-RTC-CAR’s LSA and SPA extension modalities. With his limited production area Mr. Marsan likewise explained to the team how their farm remains a viable agriculture enterprise through diversified cropping, production of unique crops, and processing of fresh produce.

Cosmic farm is one of the first ATI-certified schools for practical agriculture (SPA) in CAR specializing in organic agriculture. As an extension modality, Cosmic farm started as one of the pioneering ATI-certified learning sites for agriculture (LSA) as early as 2012. As LSA, the Cosmic Farm was able to adopt, demonstrate and practice applicable technologies on organic agriculture. Through the years of practice and experience it was also able to develop its own unique and location-specific farming technologies. As LSA the farm mainly performed its role in technology demonstration by serving as a visit and demonstration site for training participants from the ATI-RTC-CAR, DA-RFO-CAR, LGU, and other government and private institutions.

In 2016 the ATI-RTC-CAR upscaled the Cosmic Farm LSA into a school for practical agriculture. As SPA, the farm is equipped not just with the basic requirements for an LSA such as a sufficient area for technology demonstration. Rather, it already has at least a training hall and a lodging facility to accommodate participants for onsite trainings which last for more than a day thus, SPA are also known as “training centers in the field.” Aside from being an ATI-certified SPA, Cosmic Farm is also a Farm Tourism Site accredited by the Department of Tourism-CAR, and is also a TESDA-certified training and assessment center for organic agriculture catering to various clients including students, professionals, farmers, and other agriculture enthusiasts.

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