GRADUATES. The Ifugao farmers during the graduation from the DAR’s Farm Business School program. Farmers who graduated from the FBS are expected to transform themselves to become agricultural entrepreneurs. (Photo courtesy of DAR)
MANILA – Agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from the province of Ifugao are expected to transform themselves into farmer-entrepreneurs or the so-called “negosyanteng magsasaka”.
This, as 30 ARBs, mostly members of the Ambasa Agrarian Reform Farmers Organization (AARFO), recently graduated from the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) Farm Business School (FBS).
In a press release issued on Tuesday, DAR said the FBS aims to equip farmers with knowledge and skills to become agricultural entrepreneurs.
“The FBS is a 25-session hands-on learning composed of eight modules designed and developed to help farmers learn how to make their farming become enterprises and overall operations profitable and market-driven,” it said.
AARFO president Mongilit Ligmayo II said the participating ARBs and members of the ARB organization were able to reframe their production-focused practices towards more entrepreneurial and market-oriented farming operations.
“Otong chi punyamanan mi ta shahmi ji napili etoy FBS program ji DAR (We are thankful that we were chosen to be the recipient of the FBS program of DAR),” Ligmayo said.
FBS trainer Mary Jane Lugo said the FBS aims to develop the ARBs to become agricultural entrepreneurs and to inculcate in their minds that farming is a business.
She said DAR is aware of the farmer's plight and hopes that with the newly acquired skills, farmers who graduated from the FBS will be able to increase their production and eventually translate this to an increase in their household income.
Lugo also encouraged the graduates to be disciples in applying the methodologies they learned from the training.
The FBS in the province of Ifugao started in 2018 and has so far produced a total of 270 graduates from nine agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs).
This project is based on the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III to improve the livelihood activities of the farmers throughout the country. (PNA)
