UPANG patuloy na isulong ang farm tourism at farm schools sa bansa, inilunsad ni Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, chairperson ng Senate Committee on Agriculture, ang 6th Edition ng kanyang Farm Tourism Book para sa taong 2021.

“The book, consisting of 2,805 listings, is a Directory of Farm Schools, Tourism Farms, Learning Sites, and TESDA Agri Centers in the Philippines. It contains in full color, photographs and contact details of these sites from all the country’s 17 regions,” ayon kay Villar.

Kabilang din sa directory ang klasipikasyon ng mga bukid gaya ng rice, corn, coconut, organic crops, non-organic crops, high-value organic crops, bamboo, livestock, poultry, dairy, aquaculture, wild catch, at diversified.  Itinatampok dito ang talaan ng TESDA-accredited courses sa agriculture na maaaring ituro nang libre ng farm schools sa mga estudyante at magsasaka.

Layunin ng directory na proyekto ng Villar SIPAG na isulong ang Farm Tourism sa bansa. Magsisibi rin  itong guide ng farm destinations at learning sites para sa ating mga farm enthusiasts, trainees at tourists

“From a list of only 386 in its first edition, the number of farm schools has reached over 2,367 in the fifth edition and now, we have 2,805 in the sixth edition,” ayon kay Villar.

Kabilang dito ang apat na farm schools na ipinatayo ng Villar SIPAG sa Las Pinas-Bacoor City; San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan; San Miguel, Iloilo at Davao City.

“I continue to urge farmers to follow the example of others who have since become more profitable after converting their farms into tourism and learning sites. They have tripled their income sources—from their crops or harvests, from tourists who visit their farms and from trainees who enroll in training programs,” paniniyak ni Villar.

Ang senador ang principal author at sponsor ng Republic Act No. 10816 o Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 na kinikilala sa pagpapalakas sa agriculture-related tourism in the country.

Ang naturang batas ang naging daan sa patuloy na paglago ng bilang ng mga magsasaka, farm owners at farming communities na pinakikinabangang ang konbersyon sa farm tourism sites ng kanilang mga sinasaka.

“They have multiplied their earning sources–from their crops, from the tourists’ who visit their farm and buy products as well as from the tuition fees of the trainees in their farm schools,” noted Villar.

Nagsisilbi ring ang farm schools na learning sites sa mga magsasaka at plant enthusiasts na nabibigyan ng pagkakataon ng libreng pagsasanay sa makabagong pagsasaka.

Kapag accredited ng Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) o ng Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) bilang learning site, sinabi ni Villar na ang farm school ay makakukuha ng suporta ng gobyerno at scholarship grants.

“Farm schools provide agriculture-related training to help remove the barriers that prevent Filipino farmers from being competitive and profitable, including the lack of technology, mechanization and financial literacy, and knowledge in operating a farm as business and ability to access cheap credit,” ani Villar.

“With these projects, we hope to make our agriculture more competitive, innovative and profitable,” dagdag pa niya. (ESTONG REYES)