Agricultural, marine and other rural employment requires the technical skills training to enhance and improve the beneficiaries' enterprise. To answer the need for relevant technical skills training, our partners customized seminars that are provided to the target beneficiaries.
Some 2,484 upland and lowland farmers and fishermen were trained in 2011. The training reinforced their knowledge in organic rice and vegetable production, composting, livestock integration, indigenous tree seedling production, furniture making, handicraft production.
To some extent technical training boils down to the assistance in marketing certain products. Upland farmers in Southern Leyte were assisted in marketing their furniture, souvenir and novelty items. They were able to establish a display center in Tacloban City. The Sentro ha Pagpauswag ha panginabuhi, Inc. (SPPI) assisted the weaweed farmers in the production and marketing of their seaweeds to Cebu. Around 102 farmers are currently engaged in seaweeds farming in Capul island, Northen Samar.
Our partner in Cebu City, the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) implemented a project in Buhisan Watershed. PBSP collaborated with Don Bosco Technical School to provide skills training in carpentry and masoney as off-farm alternative skills for the farmers. Selected farmers are now skilled and ready for employment.