BULACAN — The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), in partnership with the East-West Seed Philippines (EWPH), conducted the first face-to-face session of YABONG or Young Agripreneurs Building Opportunities, Nurturing Growth Bootcamp on 15 March 2024 at the East-West Seed Company in San Rafael and San Ildefonso, Bulacan.
YABONG participants with East-West Seed and SEARCA at the Gulayamanan Farm at San Ildefonso, Bulacan.
This whole-day activity was part of the three-month training program, which aims to enhance the participants' expertise in vegetable production and entrepreneurship. Since its implementation in January, the sessions have been conducted online, and it was the first time that the activity was held face-to-face.
The program started with a quick farm visit at the Farm-Ready Professional Seedling Nursery, where the participants learned about seed-to-seedling management. Afterward, the participants traveled to the Gulayamanan Farm at Basuit, San Ildefonso, Bulacan, where hands-on farm activities were conducted.
YABONG participants perform hands-on training on cross-pollination, mulching, transplanting, trellising, pruning, and vine management.
The East-West Seed experts guided the participants on horticultural practices, including cross-pollination of squash plants, mulching using films to control soil temperature and limit weed growth, and seedling transplanting. Additionally, the participants set stakes for trellising, and were taught the basics of pruning and vine management.
Ms. Ma. Elena Primicias van Tooren, executive director of the East-West Seed Foundation Team, urges agripreneurs to diversify their crops for food security.
"We are happy that you are part of this YABONG Project. You are key to the nation's food security. You can make a major contribution, not just to your farms or community, but also to your LGU and the country," said Ms. Ma. Elena Primicias van Tooren, executive director of the East-West Seed Foundation Team.
In the afternoon, the participants had a facility tour at the East-West Seed Philippines warehouse and laboratories. They were briefed on the processes of seed variety development of tropical vegetables using modern plant breeding technologies, as well as the packaging and shipping of the seeds to their local and international markets.
Ms. Genivie Marqueses is one of the youngest participants in YABONG.The program closed with a brief insight-sharing session with the participants.
"I am very grateful for YABONG because I can bring the knowledge I gained to my hometown in Gumaca, Quezon. I will prove to my family and friends that I made the right decision to venture into agriculture," said Ms. Genivie Marqueses, one of the youngest participants in the training.
At the end of the YABONG program, the top five participants with the best business plans will receive seed money of Php 50,000.00 each to help them further improve their vegetable farming businesses.
Staff from SEARCA who joined the YABONG F2F session were Ms. Lichelle Carlos, Mr. Richard Angelo, and Ms. Shielo Pasahol, all from the Emerging Innovation for Growth Department (EIGD), along with Ms. Lanie Reyes and Ms. Jenine Gamil, both from the Applied Knowledge Resources Unit (AKRU).