Farm school to rise in El Nido

El Nido’s planned farm school is a step closer to realization. Mun ic ipa l Administrator RJ de la Calzada said the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI) and the Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Training Institute ( DA ATI) have allotted P10 million each to start building a farm school at the latter’s nine-hectare property in Barangay Pasadeña. “We will soon create a master plan for the school development, at the same time enter into a memorandum of agreement with funders DA ATI, PSFI and SPEX (Shell Philippines Exploration B.V.),” he told Palawan News earlier this week. De la Calzada said the initial fund support will be used to clear the area and construct solarpowered buildings, and also to provide training and equipment to the municipal governmentmanaged farm school. Mun ic ipa l Agriculture Officer Virginia Balderas said the farm school would help the town catch up with its growing need for food supply, as most of these still have to come from neighboring towns. “It will surely help a lot in ensuring the town’s food security,” Balderas said. Balderas said El Nido’s growing tourism industry, coupled with the booming construction sector in town, has caused their agriculture sector to suffer from lack of farm workers. Balderas said they that the farm school would encourage locals, especially the younger ones, to see income opportunities in agriculture, especially in agribusiness. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will provide free agriculturerelated short courses, such as organic vegetable farming and horticulture, among others, said TESDA Provincial Director Renato Pantaleon. Vice Mayor Leonor Corral, meanwhile, said she looks forward to opening the school for agri-tourism. She said tourists can tour around its demo farm teeming with vegetables and ornamental plants. De la Calzada said the school groundbreaking will be held in May or June.