TESDA to build farm school

MANILA, Philippines – Farmers and fishermen in provinces can soon go  back to school.

Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) director general Guiling Mamondiong said the government is putting up a school for farmers and fishermen.

“The project aims to provide scholarships to farmers and fisherfolk, their families and relatives, extension workers and facilitators and trainers to assist farm owners in building the capability and capacity of their farms and thus increase productivity,” Mamondiong said.

TESDA has released a circular providing for the building of a farm school.

The Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Training Institute and the Department of Agrarian Reform will assist TESDA in finding the site where the farm school will be built.

Based on results of a recent study, Mamondiong said a farmer who owns 1.5 hectares of land would earn only P2,300 a month.

“The amount is not sufficient for a farmer who raises a family,” Mamondiong said.

The low income is one of the factors that discourage farmers’ children from going into farming.

With the setting up of a farm school, TESDA sees higher earnings for fishermen and farmers.

“The concept of farm schools is based on the Farm Field Schools developed by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to help farmers become competitive and seize advantage of the opportunities in the market by operating their farms efficiently and profitably,” Mamondiong said.

Mamondiong has ordered the TESDA regional and provincial directors to inform the people in their jurisdictions about the future farm school and encourage farmers and fisherfolk to enlist in the program.