Romblon, November 13, 2023 – Twenty-six (26) farmers associations (FAs) in Romblon received specialized training from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program Phase 2, aimed at honing their skills and knowledge on crop, and livestock and poultry production with the use of modern technologies.

Conducted from June to August, 2023, the successive sessions were participated by 635 farmers from municipalities of Alcantara, Calatrava, Concepcion, Ferrol, San Andres, Santa Maria, and San Jose, Romblon tackling diverse agricultural areas such as crop production, animal care, and agripreneurship as mandatory courses for the beneficiaries before accepting the livelihood projects. These were facilitated by SAAD MIMAROPA headed by Marissa DV Vargas, Operational Planning, Budget, Monitoring, and Evaluation (OPBME) Lead of the Regional Program Management Support Office (RPMSO).

Ensuring a comprehensive and effective training experience for the farmers, invited resource speakers were experts in plant production and animal care from various DA offices.

Out of the 26 FAs, for crop production, seven (7) learned about vegetable production and marketing, six (6) focused on rice production, two (2) on root crop production and processing, two (2) on corn production and feed formulation, one (1) on cacao production, and one (1) on adlai production with intercropping technology. On the other hand, for livestock and poultry ventures, one (1) FA was trained on swine production, raising, and management, two (2) FAs on goat production and management, two (2) on free-range chicken production, one (1) on ready-to-lay chicken (egg) production, and one (1) on values formation. Meanwhile, to encourage farmers toward agripreneurship, training on entrepreneurial mind-setting was also provided.

Following the completion of their specialized training, the FAs in Romblon are now prepared to participate in the food production and livelihood component of the SAAD Program. As of writing, SAAD MIMAROPA is now procuring livelihood interventions in order to effectively finish the distribution by December 2023.  ###

Writer: Melissa F. LIngco, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Information Officer
Sources: Engr. Maiden Marie M. Segui, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Associate Project Officer, Relan S. Sabac, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer, Jhonzell G. Panganiban,, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer, Jercel N. Catubig, DA-SAAD MIMAROPA Community Development Officer