DILIMAN, Quezon City–Success through innovation and partnerships will be in the spotlight as the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) celebrates its 37th founding anniversary.
In a week-long event, the celebration will highlight how the ATI uses new strategies in implementing its training programs and continues to collaborate with public and private sector partners to achieve productivity, modernization, and professionalization within the agriculture and fisheries sector.
The event will bear the theme “Innovate, Collaborate, Succeed: Growing Together for a Sustainable Future” as the ATI pushes for the promotion of modern, green, and smart technologies towards “Bagong Pilipinas” and the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) goal of “Masaganang Agrikultura, Maunlad na Ekonomiya”.
The opening ceremonies of the anniversary will be held on February 2, 2024 which will include forging of agreements between the ATI and new institutional partners. These are for the projects with the Youth First Initiative Philippines, Inc. for “Bakal Lokal, Produkto Lokal” and other services; the International Rice Research Institute for the “Digital Training Module of Rice: Research to Production”; Globe Telecom, Inc. for the “Digital Solutions for Agricultural Advancement and Modernization”; and PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. for the Digital Farmers Program (DFP) Farm Tech Component.
One of the highlights of the celebration is the “AgriAsenso” Product Expo and TechnoForum at the Ayala Malls TriNoma Activity Center, Quezon City on February 2-4, 2024. This event will showcase fresh and processed food and non-food products, technologies, and best practices of some ATI-certified Learning Sites of Agriculture (LSAs) and ATI-accredited Extension Service Providers (ESPs), including East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Philippines and Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative.
There will be around 20 booths for retail-selling of LSA- and ESP-sourced products through the ATI’s 15 Regional Training Centers and the International Training Center on Pig Husbandry. Information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and advisory services related to farming and fishing will also be provided for free.
For the TechnoForum series, topics include Product Registration, Trademark Registration, Branding and Marketing for Agricultural Products, Precision Agriculture, Flower Pounding, and Cooperative Development. Mentorship sessions with the attending ESPs will also be held.
Senator Mark Villar and DA Undersecretary for Bureaus Mercedita Sombilla are expected to grace the opening ceremonies in the morning and the mall expo in the afternoon, respectively.
For 2023, the ATI conducted some 2,500 training activities and trained around 60,000 individuals nationwide. Aside from this, scholarship and internship programs for the youth locally and in other countries like Japan and Taiwan were continuously implemented to empower young Filipinos to become the next generation of agripreneurs.
Meanwhile, ATI Director Remelyn Recoter expressed her gratitude to the officials and staff of the ATI network of training centers and partner institutions such as the LSAs, ESPs, Farm Schools, DA-Regional Field Offices, local government units, and other private and civil society organizations.
“Our ongoing collaboration with them remains at the heart and core of the ATI. We will always be grateful for their support and will continue to celebrate their role in the existence of the ATI for the past 37 years,” she said.
The ATI is the capacity-building arm of the DA that was established by virtue of Executive Order No. 116, series 1987. It is responsible for training agricultural extension workers and other clients to address the needs of the agricultural sector.
For more details on the ATI’s 37th anniversary, visit www.ati.da.gov.ph or follow @atiinteractive on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
