TARLAC CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has taken serious initiatives to encourage and empower young farmers in Tarlac to become competent “agripreneurs”.
Through its Agricultural Training Institute Regional Training Center 3 (Central Luzon) and in collaboration with the Office of Senator Grace Poe and local government units (LGUs), the DA has delivered a livelihood program that could help develop the youth’s potentials as partners in community and agricultural development.
Under the BINHI ng Pag-asa Program (BPP), about 130 young farmers from the Tarlac towns of Pura, Victoria, Gerona, Anao and Ramos received on Wednesday 130 upgraded female goats, 30 upgraded male goats, 130 packs of Rensonii seeds, and 130 packs of Flemingia seeds.
Tarlac provincial agriculturist Alicia A. Cruz said the delivery of the livelihood starter kits is part of the BPP’s objective “to capacitate the youth and prepare them to become future agriculture leaders.”
“This is part of the goal of gradually mending the constant decline of Filipinos engaged in agriculture, alongside the growing generational gap among farmers,” Cruz said in a social media post.
Before the distribution of the starter packages, the beneficiaries underwent training in goat production, leadership in agriculture, and values formation. A total of 485 young farmers in Tarlac attended the training.
Jomari Nuqui, one of the participants, shared that the training was a big help to him. “This is a big help because we were given an opportunity to show our talent. We are thankful to the agencies that led this training. Because of them, the Binhi ng Pag-asa Program was implemented. This is a big help for me and to my colleagues,” he said Tagalog. (PNA)