DAR Sorsogon biz school produces 32 well-trained farmers , members of Salvacion Farmers Development Cooperative (SAFADECO)

DAR Sorsogon biz school produces 32 well-trained farmers SORSOGON CITY– Farm Business School (FBS), a partnership project between DAR Sorsogon and the City Government of Sorsogon produced 32 farmer-entrepreneurs in Salvacion, Sorsogon City. A simple yet meaningful Graduation and Culmination Activity cum Harvest Festival was held on September 10, 2021 at Barangay Salvacion, West District, Sorsogon City.

The 32 farmer-entrepreneurs who were honed through the intensive conduct of twenty-five (25) on-site capacity-development and flexible curriculum-based sessions on high-value crops farming and business management to enable them to manage their agri-business enterprises are members of Salvacion Farmers Development Cooperative (SAFADECO).

The facilitators from DAR Sorsogon joined hands with very able and professional agriculturists from the City Agriculture’s Office to assist the farmers in various hands-on activities undertaken as part of FBS from June 2021 to August, 2021. The facilitators utilized the learning by doing approach by employing classroom-based learning, on-farm activities like fertilizer and concoctions making, market studies and benchmarking activities to infuse the needed knowledge and skills to the farmers.

In her message, City Agriculturist Ms. Adeline Detera pledged her team’s utmost commitment to help the graduates in any way they can even after the completion of the project.

Atty. Jessica Samantha D. Acleta, General Manager of SAFADECO also expressed her delight and excitement for the farmers of Salvacion. “Salvacion is where SAFADECO started. SAFADECO will not be where it is today without its pioneer members from this barangay. We will never forget where we started. We are always here for all of you,” she shared.

One of the requirements of the project is for the farmers to establish a demonstration farm where they apply the concepts taught to them. Through SAFADECO they were able to utilize the one-hectare SAFADECO Farm as their practice area. They have planted eggplants, hot pepper, tomatoes and squash following the Natural Farming System (NFS). They were already able to harvest almost 10 kgs eggplants, hot pepper and tomatoes which they sell at competitive prices in the barangay and other buyers.

“San dati, sige mi lang taranom na dili nag-iisip kung sain dadarahon ang produkto pakaani. Dakulang urgolyo asin pasasalamat kay nakaabot saamon ini na FBS. Di na kami maproblema san maski nano kay kumpleto na ini,” shared Edgardo Malazarte, one of the graduates. (The missing link for us farmers, have always been the market for our produce. We are very thankful that we were chosen as the beneficiaries of this project. We will not worry anymore because this is already complete.)

“My heart is always delighted when I attend activities like this. This is not only a great help to the farmers but a reminder for us government employees that our projects make ripples of hope and have a great impact to the lives of the farmers and their families. We want nothing but the best for all of you,” said PARPO Nida A. Santiago.

Aside from the certificates of completion and participation, each graduate also received starter kits composed of various seeds, water sprinkler, shovel and hoe to help them in starting their high value crops production businesses. The starter kits from DAR and the City Government of Sorsogon amounts to P150,000.00.

SAFADECO also pledged to be the consolidator and buyer of the products of the farmers.

The activity was spearheaded by the Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) of Sorsogon headed by CARPO Liza B. Repotente.

-DAR Sorsogon