Twenty-three members of the Bayanihan Millenium Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BMMPC) Youth Cluster graduated from the BMMPC Season-long Young Farmers Field School in Pigtauranan, Pangantucan, Bukidnon on April 27, 2024.

The field school aimed to equip young coffee farmers with skills and knowledge essential for their growth and sustainability. Through immersive training, participants gained comprehensive insights into modern agricultural practices. In addition, the program sought to foster the integration of complementary crops into coffee farming, ensuring resilience against evolving environmental and economic challenges.

This strategic move is in line with BMMPC’s organizational development plan to create a new generation of coffee farmers who value diversification and the integration of other crops while respecting their cultural indigenous practices.

One of BMMPC’s co-implementors of the program is the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 10 through its Rural Agro-enterprise Partnership for Inclusive Development and Growth Project (RAPID). RAPID Growth Project provided basic training to the participants on diversified farming and emphasized its importance along with a youth entrepreneurship program that utilizes the “Be Your Own Boss” module. The program coached the youth on data gathering, analysis, and presentation on a weekly basis, as scheduled in their field school.

Other co-implementers include the Education Development Center, Municipal Agriculture Office, and Peace and Equity Foundation.

The program ran from October 2023 to April 2024. ♦

Date of Release: 30 April 2024