As part of the celebration of the Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month, livestock and poultry growers are featured during the Livestock Week, from May 20-24, 2019 at the Department of Agriculture central office in Quezon City.

DA officials including Undersecretary for Special Concerns Waldo Carpio, Philippine Carabao Center Executive Director Arnel N. Del Barrio, and National Dairy Authority Administrator Marilyn Mabale led the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the formal opening of the week-long exhibit. Joining them are Artemio Veneracion Jr. President of the Association of Rabbit Meat Producers Incorporated and Farmer Scientist Agrifina Ochoa.

Ochoa, a farmer beneficiary of DA-Agricultural Training Institute’s (ATI) Magsasaka Siyentista program shared how the training programs of ATI have helped her in improving her income, and transform her agricultural practices into a sustainable livelihood for her and her community in Magdalena, Laguna.

“Back in 2013, there were a lot of challenges in swine raising. We were being asked to leave due to the foul odor that it emits from our pens. The same year I attended ATI’s training programs and I was able to solve that problem by applying the things that I have learned from the training,” Ochoa said.

From a meager income of 500 pesos per swine, Ochoa now earns 3000 pesos per head. She also extends her knowledge and teaches other farmers all the learning she acquired from the training programs. In addition, she now teaches children in public schools vegetable farming technologies so they may have sustainable source of healthy and nutritious foods.

“Totoong naibababa ninyo sa aming mga maliliit na magsasaka ang mga programa ng DA,” she said. ### (Carlos Cezar Baldosa, DA-AFID)