To promote the understanding of organic farming and good agricultural practices, the Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc. (SIFI) conducted the Sustainable Agriculture Seminar to 7 agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs).
The seminar was conducted to help enhance the ARBOs’ understanding of sustainable vegetable production and responsible farm management. This was led by SIFI Regenerative Agriculture for Climate Mitigation (RAC) Program Junior Agriculturist Markel Divinagracia as the resource speaker.
The 7 ARBOs who attended were San Jose Villa Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Ilog), Villa Carolina Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Murcia), Brgy. Don Jorge L. Araneta Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Bago City), Minuro Agrarian Reform Beneficiary (Victorias City), Balogo Farmers Association (Talisay City), UMIBA Agrarian Reform Cooperative (Himamaylan City), and Pader Agho Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Association Inc. (Bago City).
The topics covered the fundamental concepts of sustainable agriculture, the three dimensions of sustainability, the principles and methods of organic farming, and the introduction to Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP). The participants were also introduced to organic farming practices, its challenges and requirement, and its distinction from and shared methods with the GAP.
The ARBOs’ vegetable production practices, available resources, and training needs were assessed. Through this, the participants were able to identify the opportunities in strengthening the respective organizations’ management of their farms and gardens.
Overall, the seminar and assessment provided a chance to connect the principles of sustainable agriculture with the existing practices and needs of the participating organizations. The activity generated baseline information on their production areas, current and target crops, farming inputs, pest-control methods, harvesting schedules, and capacity-building requirements. The results will serve as a reference for planning succeeding technical assistance and training activities aimed at improving vegetable production, promoting responsible farm management, and strengthening the sustainability of ARBO-led gardening initiatives.
