THIRTY agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in La Carlota City have graduated from Farm Business School (FBS), a program of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) positioned to develop farmers as entrepreneurs and make their business operations profitable.
The graduates include farmer-beneficiaries of Estela Agrarian Reform Cooperative situated at Barangay San Miguel of the southern Negros Occidental locality.
Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Lucrecia Taberna, who led the graduation rites at Palmas Del Mar Resort in Bacolod City Monday, September 24, said FBS is an on-site entrepreneurial training and education that aims to capacitate farmers in farm technology and agribusiness.
Taberna said this is a realization and fulfillment of the memorandum of agreement entered by DAR-Negros Occidental II and City Government of La Carlota.
“Farmers were trained on how to become entrepreneurs and how to manage farms as enterprises to improve their production,”
Taberna said, adding that "FBS opened many opportunities for ARBs, as they are now equipped with entrepreneurial skills, knowledge and values."
During the 25 sessions, recipient-ARBs were trained on market survey, accounting, farm budget planning, benchmarking, and market forum and matching.
“To ensure sustainability, the DAR is just here to support all our farmer-beneficiaries especially in the delivery of various support services responding to the needs of their respective cooperatives and organizations,” Taberna also said.
For her part, Joan Dionaga, the batch’s highest honor student, the training has made her and fellow ARBs realized that farming is the gateway to progress.
“Provided, we must apply the skills and strategies taught by the DAR through FBS in making our land more productive,” she added.