Some 135 farmer-trainees of Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) ended their training program with a harvest festival at the foundation’s farm school at the boundary of Las Piñas and Bacoor City.
Villar SIPAG partnered with Allied Botanical Corporation (ABC) to teach modern farming processes and machineries to local farmers. ABC is the only 100% Filipino-owned seed company with a research and development program.
The trainees came from Valenzuela, Makati, Navotas, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Cavite, and Laguna.
They started their hands-on training on February 10, 2016 with modules on sowing, plotting, and harvesting. They were also trained on backyard organic farming.
“I am positive that our farmer-trainees will be able to benefit from the learning and help improve their income from farming,” Sen. Cynthia Villar, Villar SIPAG director, said.
Villar said she is also interested in putting up a farmer’s market that will not only feature the produce of the trainees but also the produce of farmers nearby. She said this will be a good venue for farmers to market their crops to consumers.
As the final phase of the three-month training program, the trainees will be taught how to handle the crops during harvest.
