SM Foundation, Inc., the heart of the SM Group of Companies, has partnered with the Cebu City government to train farmers & beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Cebu City under the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers Training Program.
SM Foundation, Inc. together with the Cebu City Agriculture Office, Department of Social Welfare Services, Department of Social Welfare & Development Region 7, and Macondray, formally launched the Farmers Training Program in San Nicolas Elementary School.
The project attracted 190 farmers from Cebu City. Under the KSK program of SM Foundation, the participants will be taught on effective backyard planting and small-scale farming techniques for fruits and vegetables every Wednesdays for 12-weeks. This helps improve the quality and quantity of their crops as well as provide organic food for their families. The foundation also assist farmers who form cooperatives by linking them to local markets and SM suppliers for a more stable source of income. SM Foundation also enables participants to become self-sufficient by equipping them with knowledge through urban gardening.
City Agriculturist Joey Baclayon, speaking on behalf of Cebu City mayor Edgardo Labella, thanked SM Foundation, Inc. for bringing this project once again to the city. Baclayon urged the participants to practice the new techniques they will learn from Macondray throughout the training so they can enhance their production and contribute to the city’s food security.
The participants are expected to graduate on November 13, 2019 in SM City Cebu.