Some 50 Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries in Zamboanga City were identified as recipients of SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers Training Program.  The program, which was launched yesterday in Barangay Tigbalabag, this city aims to help families sustain their needs by educating small-time farmers on new effective technologies  that could help them grow organic fruits and vegetables in their own backyard.

DSWD IX Regional Director Zenaida L. Arevalo said that the project is one of the government’s public-private partnership (PPP) efforts.  “Considering the need for income-sustaining programs for our poor households, we believe that this is a good opportunity for our Pantawid benefiaries to learn something that would help them come up with earnings for their daily needs”.

Cristie Angeles, Asst. Vice President for SM Foundation said, “We want to help these families sustain their food and (to earn) a little money to alleviate themselves out of poverty”.  She added that this is the first time that SM Foundation has linked with a group from Zamboanga City, a non-SM area.  “But realizing the need of the people, we pursued with this effort”, Angeles explained.

“Scholars” as they are called, the program recipients were identified on the condition that they have an existing vacant lot measuring to at least 200 square meters where they could plant and apply what they have learned from their once-a-week meeting with their trainor.

A vacant lot adjacent to the Barangay Hall of Tigbalabag was turned into a Demo Farm where the scholars shall convene every Wednesday for the lecture and application.

The training, which started yesterday (Feb. 26), will extend for 13 weeks.  Sweet corn, honey dew and melons and common vegetables are some of the produce that they hope to harvest after the training program.

“There will be a mini-fair where the scholars will display their harvest on the day of the graduation and we have encouraged these scholars to complete their 13 sessions for them to receive a certificate from SM”, Arevalo said.  She added that those participants with more than 2 absences with no valid reason will be automatically excluded from the training program.

The Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan project is a joint effort of DSWD, DAR, SM Foundation and Harbest Agribusiness Corp. and the local government of Zamboanga City### (NZB)