Victims learn to grow vegetables

by Zac Sarian We just got one heart-warming news from SM Foundation. Some 108 Yolanda typhoon victims from Leyte have graduated from a season-long training on high-value vegetable production, and they are now on their way to be able to stand on their own feet. The training was done in Tanauan town. Farmers from Tanauan were joined by their counterparts from Barugo and Babatngon. The vegetable training is just one of a series of trainings that the SM Foundation has been undertaking in many parts of the country as part of its corporate responsibility. The Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan Farmers Training Program (KSK-FTP) was started more than five years ago in Bacolod City and has been sustained to this day. SMART WAY TO MULTIPLY STRAWBERRY PLANTLETS FOR SALE – The editor of this page saw a smart way of propagating strawberry planting materials for sale in a leisure farm in Taiwan that he visited recently. Photo shows long tables each about two meters wide filled with strawberry plants. In the middle are two rows of mature strawberry in plastic pots that are producing several runners. In each node of the runner is a plantlet that is seated in a small plastic pot where it will take root and grow. After attaining a reasonable size, the plantlet is separated from the mother plant and further hardened before it is ready for sale. In one year, each mother plant could easily produce more than ten plantlets. And in the leisure farm, one plantlet is retailed at the equivalent of P80. These are bought by visitors who go to the leisure farm to partake of good food as well as other organic farm produce such as cherry tomato, wellness products and others. Producing plantlets for sale could be more lucrative than producing fruits for sale. It really makes sense to train the victims in vegetable production. After all, vegetables are very nutritious food. And on top of that, vegetables can be produced in just a few weeks or months, depending on the variety chosen. The vegetables need not be for home consumption only. They could become a steady source of income if the farmers are enterprising enough. Well, we understand that how to become entrepreneurial is part of the training given to the farmers. The trainees, no doubt, have learned the importance of cooperating with one another as they soon established their own organization – the Samahan Ng Mga Magsasaka Sa Tanauan, Barugo at Babatngon. They also elected their own officers. Aside from the vegetable production technicians that taught them how to grow vegetables, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, through Direcor Georgina Hernandez, pledged to help the participants with financial assistance to start their livelihood projects. Aside from the basic farming techniques, Hernandez said they will be given a Social Preparation module to train them to become entrepreneurs, giving them training on value formation and financial literacy. Through Mungkahi Proyekto, no-interest, non-collateral loans payable within two years in staggered amounts, depending on their cropping cycle, will be made available to them. The association will collect and deposit with the DSWD Land Bank account the payment of these loans under flexible payment terms. One of the attendees in the training program is Cirilo Cinco of Tanauan. He started to farm at a young age and had always depended on farming for their livelihood. After Yolanda, his family became dependent on relief goods. He said he got curious when the KSK-FTP was launched so he attended the launching activity. And after hearing the messages from the organizers and partner agencies, he decided to enroll in the training. He soon learned the improved techniques of vegetable production as well as to socialize with fellow attendees from other barangays. Today, Cirilo has already put up his own vegetable project in his backyard. He now produces the vegetables his family needs and some for sale to add to the family coffers. The lone participant from Babatngon town has already become entrepreneurial. He is employing on his farm what he learned in the training. His wife who is working in Malta was able to ask her employer to donate a small tractor so that will help him cultivate his land. He is also willing to share what he learned to his neighbors. Ten farmers from Barugo which is about 65 kilometers away from Tanauan did not mind traveling the long distance. Civic-minded townmates have helped them with their transportation and meal expenses and they religiously attended the lectures and demonstrations. They said they will replicate the training program with 40 farmers from their municipality with DSWD and the Department of Agriculture serving as their mentors. Seed capital will be provided by DSWD while high-yielding vegetable seeds will be provided by SM Foundation and Harbest Agribusiness. Farm equipment will also provided to these farmers to start an alternative means of livelihood after their coconut farms and rice fields were totally ruined by typhoon Yolanda.