The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship – Go Negosyo (PCE-Go Negosyo) have jointly launched the “Kapatid Agri Mentor Me Program” (KAMMP) which aims to coach farmers on the uses of modern technology and help them start and manage their own small enterprises.
In a Memorandum of Understanding signed Monday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol and Go Negosyo founder and Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion agreed on a program that would provide entrepreneurial knowledge to farmers and fisherfolk.
Piñol said the program would help the department in addressing the challenges of changing the mindset of farmers to new technologies and improving productivity in the industry.
He described technology transfer as “one of the major challenges” in agriculture.
“One of the reasons we have lesser productivity,” the Secretary said, “is that farmers often neglect to learn the technologies that the government has offered to them.”
“How do we educate our farmers?” Piñol asked. “Bigyan mo ng ganitong binhi ang magsasaka, ayaw. Ang kwentahan nila mas mura ang ganitong binhi, kaya mas marami ang kikitain.”
But with the mentoring program, Piñol said the DA and Go Negosyo could scale up agri-business in the Philippines.
KAMMP is a component program of the KAPATID Project of the PCE-Go Negosyo, which links to the value chain of medium and large corporations through inclusive business models.
As designed, the program would optimize industry clustering and market linkages to achieve enterprise development.
Among the DA’s partners are agri-business industry practitioners who could show the way to farmers in equipping themselves with proper production techniques, mindset and values, and strategies and practical knowledge.
The consultation services will be provided during a stretch of possibly 12 weeks of coaching sessions.
Also during the signing, Concepcion said the government needs to help farmers become wealthier by mentoring them in managing small enterprises.
Through this program, more farmers would be encouraged to invest in agri-entrepreneurship, he said.
“We have to project future millionaires and billionaires in agriculture. They need to know that agriculture is sexy,” Concepcion said.
Those who were at the MOU signing included Agri-Enterprises Development adviser of PCE-Go Negosyo Ana Margarita Hontiveros, Dr. William Dar, Agriculture Undersecretary for Administration, Agribusiness and Marketing, and Regional Engagement Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Agricultural Training Institute Director Luz Hofilena A. Taposok and Undersecretary Ariel Cayanan, focal person of KAMMP.
The DA and Go Negosyo last partnered on “Project Save Sulu” during last quarter of 2016. (Kristel Merle, DA-AFID)
