With the aim of enhancing the knowledge and skills of AEWs in vegetable production employing Good Agricultural Practices principles and efficiently assisting their farmer clients in their compliance to GAP standards and on their application for GAP certification, a Training of Trainers (TOT) on Vegetable Production Employing GAP for AEWs of Kalinga was conducted at the Ayuman Aggani Farm, Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga.
Dr. Cristine B. Esnara, Section Chief of the Partnership and Accreditation Services Section and at the same time the Project Officer, pointed out that GAP Compliance and Certification is an urgent practice that needs to be understood well by the extension providers specifically the agricultural extension workers, co-implementers, community policymakers and other stakeholders and the farmers in view of the implementation of Asian Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade-World Trade Organization (GATT-WTO) and Food Safety Act of 2013. She added that both AFTA and GATT-WTO aim to provide equal and wider market opportunities for food products being produced by each member country. However, this market opportunity is not the mere removal of import taxes but requires a guarantee system called Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Compliance Certificate, specifically to declare that fresh food product being sold in the market has undergone a production and processing system that ensures food safety and quality. She added that there has to be continued training and updating of the partner AEWs especially the newly appointed HVCD, GAP and Food Safety Officers in the province.
Topics discussed were The Philippine National Standards: Code of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for fruits and Vegetables, Food Safety, Home Gardening, Farm Record Keeping, Soil Fertility, Composting, Concoction, Edible Landscaping, Product Stewardship (fertilizer management), and FPA Rules and Regulations on Fertilizers and Pesticides Handling.
As front liners in the agriculture sector, AEWs face a lot of stressful activities thus a special topic concerning the Management of Stress and Safeguarding Mental Health was added. This was discussed by Mr. Shamgar Douglas T. Mangida Jr., Senior Health Program Officer of the DOH-CHD-CAR.
Ms. Lucena B. Agurin of OPAg-Kalinga expressed her appreciation regarding the training, she said “I would like to thank the facilitators and the RPs of this training and our HVCD Focal Person in our office. Although I am a Rice focal person, I still have learned a lot in this training regarding HVCD Program, especially during the discussion of Mental health Awareness. Because we need our mental health to be healthy in order for us to become more productive in our own jobs in our localities. Lastly, I enjoyed all the topics discussed.”
The training was held on April 18-21, 2023 with a total of 37 AEWs-participants.
