Tesda Central Luzon beefs up farmers training

THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Central Luzon has strengthened its programs in agriculture-related courses that will capacitate the public to be food sufficient.

In a statement, Tesda Regional Director Balmyrson Valdez said the move was aimed to equip local farmers with knowledge in agricultural developments that will help sustain food supply in the country.

“Almost all of the countries around the world, especially the developed ones, are the ones with sufficient food. Those are the exporters. We have not yet reached that level, that is why we want to teach our countrymen to learn how to plant and to engage in agriculture,” he said.

Valdez said aside from attaining food sufficiency, agriculture can be a source of income because people may also sell their products as not everybody should live in the city, citing that those living in mountainous or farm areas can do so much to cultivate their lands.

He added that Secretary Isidro Lapeña has a directive to all Tesda offices across the country to go to the areas where the Department of Agrarian Reform conducts distribution of certificates of land ownership award (CLOA).

“We go to areas identified for CLOA distribution before the actual awarding to profile the beneficiaries and assess what their training needs are. This is because a majority of the beneficiaries do not know what to do with the lands awarded to them,” Valdez said.

The director added that they train CLOA beneficiaries to utilize the land given to them, how to develop it as a sustainable food source, and how to fertilize it properly to prevent the crops from dying.

While the Department of Agriculture usually provides the beneficiaries with farm inputs and machinery, Tesda, on the other hand, also trains them on small engine repair so they know how to operate, maintain, and repair these machines and equipment in case of damage.

Added to Tesda’s assistance is the training of beneficiaries, as well as those who belong to the agriculture sector, on how to develop their entrepreneurial skills and mindset besides the goal of attaining food sustainability.

“Our entrepreneurial program teaches them how to manage their earnings, how to spend and how to save their money,” Valdez said.