The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental-North has conducted a training on agroecosystem analysis to 15 farmer-members of A&G Esteban Farmers Association in Barangay San Miguel in Murcia town recently.
The training spearheaded by the Program Beneficiaries Development Division is a component of Organic Rice Production under the Major Crop-Based Project.
It was also conducted through the agency's Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support (CRFPS) project.
Jayvee Duran, agrarian reform program technologist of DAR-Negros Occidental I, said the effects of climate change has posed an enormous threat to humankind.
"We are compelled to take immediate steps to counter the problem," Duran said.
To address this issue especially among rural areas, the DAR is equipping the farmers with knowledge to encourage them to venture into organic agriculture and capacitate them with training to enhance their skills in observing, analyzing and recommending ideas for sustainable agriculture, he added.
The training's core objective is enhancing the skills of farmers to learn, observe and recommend solutions to the issues that concern the ecosystem in their area.
The DAR is helping them develop practices that will contribute to the balance of the ecosystem and sustainability of their community.
The agency also targets to provide the same training to four more farmer organizations in the province.
These are Barangay Quezon ARB Association in San Carlos City, Sta. Rosa Small Farmers Association in Murcia town, RICEBIS Negros Agrarian Reform Cooperative also in Murcia and Sicaba Farmers Association ib Cadiz City.
DAR-Negros Occidental I said the CRFPS project is geared towards building resiliency for agrarian reform communities with an emphasis on enhancing and sustaining the agricultural productivity of the organizations as adaptation measures towards farming mechanization.
This project, it said, will also support the organizations to increase their farm production, yield better income and to reform their lives pursuant to Republic Act 9729 or the Climate Change Act.
The Program Beneficiaries Development is a support service delivery component of the DAR that aims to capacitate agrarian reform beneficiaries and provide them access to salient support services for the productivity of their lands and improvement of their lives.
The training complied with the minimum health protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Department of Health, it added.