While super typhoon Carina intensified its gusty winds and poured its heavy rains over Northern Luzon, the Capability Building for LGUs on Organic Agriculture is being implemented here at the ATI-RTC-CAR, BSU Compd., La Trinidad, Benguet which runs from July 22-26, 2024.
The training aims to capacitate LGUs about the updated OA provisions. This is also to let the AEWs implement the National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP), and the provisions of the amended Act and its implementing rules and regulations.
Contents of the course delve into the following topics: Government's Role on Food Security; Roles and Responsibilities of LGUS in the Implementation of the NOAP under RA 10068, as amended by RA No. 11511 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations; Core Programs of the NOAP; and Enterprise Plan Preparation.
The training is backed up with benchmarking activities at the different Learning Sites for Agriculture showcasing organic agriculture namely Cosmic Farm located at Beckel, La Trinidad, Benguet; the Garden Life which specializes in herbs and highland vegetables and is located at Pinsao, Baguio City, and at the Lily of the Valley Organic Farm located at Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet.
During the closing ceremony, SB Marilou Zarate of LGU Atok, Benguet expressed her support to the training. She was very grateful to be one of the participants invited to attend the said training. "Through this, I was enlightened more about RA No. 11511 - An Act Amending RA 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. We learned much and our topic about organic farming was much appreciated when we visited those LSA farms. I just hope and request to the NOAP that maybe we can have a congress with the committee chair on organic agriculture,” she ended with a smile.
This was seconded by Mr. Peter L. Adawe, Agricultural Technologist -of LGU Alfonso Lista, Ifugao. He said, “As one of the AEWs, I greatly appreciate our Sanggunian Bayan members who joined us on this training because they are one of our support systems in implementing organic farming in our LGUs. I was an organic practitioner from 2008 to 2010, however, I was just discouraged by the expensive certification of the third party. But I am very happy now because we finally have this PGS (Participatory Guarantee System).”
A total of 31 participants composed of Sangguniang Bayan on Agriculture Chairpersons and AEWs representing various MLGUs in the Cordillera Administrative Region attended the said training activity.
