BACOLOD CITY — Thirty-five farmer-members of Dolis Agrarian Reform Cooperative in Calatrava town will benefit from the farm business school (FBS) project launched by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Negros Occidental-North on Thursday.
The DAR is implementing the project is partnership with the Municipality of Calatrava and the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) organization based in Barangay Dolis, as stipulated in the memorandum of agreement.
Everelle Caballero, who represented the municipal government, said they will work hand-in-hand with the DAR and ARBs to make the project a success.
In the farm business school, which is held on-site, the DAR will conduct a series of 25 sessions of multi-level training program for the beneficiaries.
The training seeks to capacitate participants in developing sustainable enterprises and enhance the competitiveness of their produce in the market.
The municipal government will provide technical and marketing support through coaching, mentoring, and provision of vegetable seedlings and other farm inputs.
Benchmarking, market surveys, and market matching with prospect buyers will be conducted by the farmers.
Caballero said through the project, the municipal government hopes to solve the pressing challenges in farm production to boost the farmers’ income.
“From producing more, they will now be taught on how to effectively market their products,” she added.
In November last year, 30 members of the Mulawin Lanatan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative at Barangay Poblacion in Sagay City, also in northern Negros, completed the farm business school program.
During the sessions, the farmer-beneficiaries cultivated crops like eggplant, pepper and squash.
Earlier on the same month, 106 ARBs in the southern part of Negros Occidental also graduated from the program.
These include farmer-recipients who are members of three ARB organizations in the towns of Hinigaran and Pontevedra and Sipalay City. (Erwin Nicavera/PNA)
