BAGUIO CITY – With the aim to support and empower the youth and farmers cooperative associations (FCAs) in the region, the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD) organized an experiential learning on the agri-enterprises within and near the city on December 12 to 13, 2024. The activity was attended by Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) awardees and FCAs from the Cordillera region.
On the first day of the activity, the participants were given a chance to visit KOKOMO, a local chocolate crafting company in the city, in which they were personally toured by the co-founder and chocolatier, Angeleah Montilde. In addition to the visitation in the studio, she had let the participants learn the proper way of tasting chocolate and identifying the different varieties of cacao beans. She also encouraged them to continue advocating local produce, such as cacao products, as it pioneers the market locally and internationally. She also emphasized the importance of the involvement of young farmers as they lead a more sustainable development in the industry.
Thereafter, the participants have visited June Jay Sanlao’s micro-enterprise, Cheche’s Gourmet, and were given a chance as well to have a tour around the production room. During the tour, she reiterated to the participants the importance of branding and labeling of products, as these mostly attract consumers. She also encouraged them to not be afraid of criticism when it comes to their products, as it serves as a factor for improvement.
Lastly, the participants have ended their tour with Denver Biang, a YFC provincial-awardee and owner of SayMayat Farming. During his talk, he has emphasized the role of gender equality in agriculture. His advocacy for women’s empowerment has encouraged the participants, who were mostly women, to persist in the agriculture sector as opportunities are endless.
After all the visitations, the participants have identified their areas for improvement in their enterprises and addressed their strategic steps for long-term goals with the learnings they have taken from the proprietors. This experiential learning has enhanced the participants’ knowledge on product innovation processing and farm practices. By Juby Mae Cayat
