The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) have signed a 5-year agreement to establish a national training and certification program for urban and peri-urban agriculture.
The partnership will introduce the Urban Agriculture Production NC II, a new technical-vocational qualification that will set national competency standards, training regulations, curricula and assessment tools for urban farming practitioners.
The initiative aims to train and certify urban agriculture practitioners, trainers, assessors and educators as the government seeks to expand food production in urban areas while creating additional livelihood opportunities.
To support the program, the two agencies will establish an Urban Agriculture Technology Demonstration and Training Center at the Tesda Complex in Taguig.
Additional learning hubs will also be set up in Tesda regional training centers, DA facilities and selected urban farming sites.
The training program will cover modern production methods, including hydroponics, vertical farming, protected cultivation, container gardening, composting and other climate-smart farming technologies.
It will also incorporate food safety, biosafety, phytosanitary standards and good agricultural practices in line with the Food Safety Act of 2013.
Tesda Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez said agriculture remains among the agency’s priority sectors for scholarship support.
‘Through this collaboration with DA, we further strengthen Tesda’s services that will empower Filipinos to get into urban farming, create livelihood out of it, and ultimately contribute to the economy.’
The partnership is expected to institutionalize urban and peri-urban agriculture as a technical vocation by providing standardized training and nationally recognized certification for individuals pursuing food production in urban communities.
In addition, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the initiative builds on the Filipino spirit of community that became especially evident during the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘I have always believed that Filipinos have a special gift. Give us a small patch of land, a rooftop, a balcony or even a few recycled containers, and before long, someone has turned them into a thriving garden,’ the DA chief said.
‘We are, by nature, nurturers. Today, our task is to match that instinct with knowledge, skills and opportunity.’