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Fifteen owners of farm schools and learning sites in Luzon attended the "Training of Trainers on Production of High Quality Inbred Seeds and Farm Mechanization" program held at the Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG) Farm School in Bacoor City. Conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center IV-A, Philippine Center for Post-Harvest Development and Mechanization, and Philippine Rice Research Institute-Los Banos, the training course aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of participants on modernized production technologies.  Sen. Cynthia Villar, director of Villar SIPAG, said the course is part of the program under Republic Act 11203 or the law which created the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, where a pool of trainers will take the lead in teaching farmers in different parts of the country how to improve their yield and increase their incomes by lowering the cost of producing palay.  At th...

Sen. Cynthia Villar welcomed another batch of backyard swine farmers and agriculture enthusiasts to the sustainable pig farming training program at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Bacoor, Cavite. More than 30 participants coming from Calabarzon and the National Capital Region signed up for the training program conducted in partnership with theVillar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG) and the Agricultural Training Institute. “Katulad ng iba pang training courses na ginawa namin, hangad namin na matulungan kayo na mapalago ang inyong mga kita sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng mga dagdag na kaalaman sa inyo,” Villar said in her welcome remarks. Villar, who is expected to continue to lead the Committee on Agriculture and Food in the 18th Congress, noted that backyard hog-raising or pig farming is one of the alternative sources of additional income of many farmers because it requires only a small capital. VILLAR PUTS HIGH PREMIUM ON HO...

Re-electionist Senator Cynthia Villar urged local leaders of agricultural towns all over the country to help their farmers to become more competitive with the opening of farm schools. In her recent visit to Carranglan, Nueva Ecija for the 10 th  Gintong Butil Festival, Villar urged Mayor Mary Abad to encourage farm owners in their locality to convert their farms into learning sites. “These farm schools will help farmers to learn for free modern ways of farming that will enable them to increase productivity and incomes and reducing their production cost,” Villar said. VILLAR AT THE EL SHADDAI WALK OF FAITH 2019.   Re-electionist Sen. Cynthia A. Villar  thanks El Shaddai, the country’s biggest charismatic movement for inviting her to be a part of their Walk of Faith 2019 celebration in Paranaque City. In her speech, the senator acknowledges that each El Shaddai member has his or her own story in the Walk of Faith with El Shaddai. But she s...

Saying more Filipinos should be able to afford healthy and safe organic products, Sen. Cynthia Villar urged her colleagues in the Senate to pass the bill that will provide for a more affordable system of organic certification. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, sponsored Senate Bill No. 2203 under Committee Report No. 625, which amends Republic Act 10068 or the Organic Agriculture Act of 2010. The Organic Agriculture Act requires the certification of organic farms of small farmers by a third-party certifier to facilitate labeling and marketing of products to markets. However, farmers find the cost of third party certification with the tag price ranging from P42,000 to 150,000 per crop, valid for only one year, to be exorbitant.  “The high cost of certification creates a very big barrier for small farmers to overcome preventing them to participate, which ultimately hurts the growth and development of the organic movement,” Villar said. 1 7T...

Sen. Cynthia Villar was keynote speaker and guest of honor during a field day showcasing the latest in seed technology and cultivation techniques, which was attended by 80 foreign delegates from 49 countries. Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food, commended East-West Seed for its work to help small-hold vegetable farmers grow better crops and higher yield. With the theme “Better Seeds for a Better World,” the field day took place at the Villar SIPAG Farm School in Bacoor, Cavite. It is a post-Congress tour of the 25th Asian Seed Congress held last November 12-16. The activity attracted farmers and agricultural stakeholders as well as delegates from the seed industry in the Asia-Pacific Region. “We are very happy that we have partners in the private sector that also make it their life’s mission to help small farmers increase their incomes. With the legislation we are pushing in the Senate, we are not only training farmers plant quality cr...

With the rising cost of food products due to high inflation rates, Filipinos need to be resilient and self-sufficient to sustain their family’s food requirements, Sen. Cynthia A. Villar has stressed. “Everything has become expensive, especially basic food supplies. We are now all feeling the impact of our country's all-time high inflation rate for the past 9 years. We have to act decisively to make sure our families eat healthy,” Villar said. Villar, who is the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said raising native animals in one’s backyard is a practical and handy solution to ensure that families have food to serve on their tables. Villar reminded producers of native animals that families will always spare money for their meat supplies to meet their nutritional requirements. Meat products are rich in protein, B and E vitamins, iron, zinc and magnesium. Data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) shows meat consumption among Filipinos has i...

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who succeeded in their ventures in agriculture take center stage during the 7th OFW and Family Summit held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture and Food and director of the organization behind the annual holding of the summit, Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance (Villar SIPAG), said summit attendees were inspired by the experiences shared by agriculture entrepreneurs or agri-preneurs. “Our ultimate dream is to see the day when our kababayans are no longer compelled by lack of local opportunities to work abroad and leave their loved ones behind. With various opportunities sprouting from agriculture, that dream could become a reality sooner than we all think,” Villar said. OFW agri-preneurs featured in the summit were Gigi Morris, president and school director of Moca Family Farm Learning Center in Padre Garcia, Batangas; Joel Frago, owner of For...