By Leony R. Garcia
Be a farmer, become rich!
This was the challenge posed by Christy Angeles of SM Foundation to the 118 farmer-graduates of the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) Program during the recent harvest festival at Barangay Kaypian, San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.
SM Foundation, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the local agriculture office, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Harbest Agribusiness Corp., has been implementing the KSK Program all over the country.
Since 2007, the foundation’s Farmers’ Training Program has been helping marginalized farmers become self-sufficient by equipping them with updated knowledge in doable agricultural technology. The foundation aims to equip the farmers with skills and rudiments in producing quality vegetables, teaching them simple bookkeeping and marketing strategies and guiding them to achieve better daily income. They are taught to market their produce, especially in all SM market outlets.
For 12 weekly sessions, KSK scholars are trained on the proper way of planting through lessons in modern farming methods and technologies. Sessions also include values formation, capability building and social entrepreneurship. Finally, farmers are provided opportunities to create market linkages through the SM Food Group’s suppliers.
In 2014 SM Foundation conducted 19 KSK trainings, equipping 2,798 farmers from 53 municipalities with the right knowledge in modern farming methods. Ten KSK trainings were rolled out in areas devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) such as Samar, Leyte, Cebu, Negros Occidental and Panay Island. Two trainings were conducted in the calamity-stricken areas of Bohol (earthquake) and Zamboanga City (armed conflicts); while the rest are regular KSK trainings.
On May 28 farmer-scholars of Barangay Kaypian beamed with pride and happily harvested their produce despite the scorching heat of the sun.
The farmers were then gathered together for a forum with representatives from SM Food Retail Group so they can learn the trading system, as well as the right quality and quantity of the produce, price negotiations and the actual cost of transporting the fresh produce from farm to market. The day was capped with a sumptuous boodle fight, the highlight of harvest festival.
Angeles, in her pep talk with the farmers, exhorted them to think of farming as a business. She added that producing quality vegetables, sustaining the volume of demand of the suppliers like SM and the punctual delivery of goods are the marketing criteria that farmers need to comply. These criteria, once followed, will provide the farmers with opportunities to become millionaires, she said.
In addition, Angeles also advised the farmers to follow the marketing agreement, as it will build trust and confidence. She said honesty is a big factor for a farmer to become millionaire.
Meanwhile, Arsenio “Toto” Barcelona of Harbest Agribusiness Corp encouraged farmers to produce high-quality vegetables since marketing is not a problem. According to him, there is a sure market in Bulacan alone, which, to date, still gets its vegetable requirement from Divisoria in Manila.
The graduation ceremony for the 118 farmers was held at SM Fairview the following day.