DAR opens agri business schools in Asturias, Toledo

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has established farm business schools in Toledo and Asturias in Cebu to improve the business perception of farmers in the province.

Represented by Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer Elvira Bation, DAR forged an agreement with the local chief executives of Toledo City and Asturias, and officials of Agricultural Training Institute of the Department of Agriculture for the establishment of the two farm business schools.

Bation said the farm business schools will teach agrarian reform beneficiaries how to develop their farms and susatain profitable operations.

"We want them to be responsive to market demands," she said.

The farmers will be taught on bookkeeping, cash flows, market surveys, labor, product selling, product costing and proper packaging of products.

The student-farmers are the members of the Talavera United Farmers’ Association of Talavera, Toledo City, and the farmer-members of Bag-ong Kusog sa Mag-uuma, and Bago-Lunas United Communal Irrigators Association of Barangay Bago and Lunas, Asturias, Cebu.

"The farmers will undergo an interactive learning process where the farmers learn from each other. The facilitators will be there to guide them," Bation said.

Under the program, 30 to 35 farmerparticipants will undergo series of group-based, 25-day training sessions.

"These sessions would develop their capacity in running a profitable farm business by honing them to become better farm managers and entrepreneurs," she explained.