In Cagayan de Oro City, the Agricultural Training Institute in Northern Mindanao (ATI-10) is intensifying its efforts to support local agriculture in response to the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) food security emergency declaration. Maria Lydia Echavez, the director of the ATI-10 training center, announced that the institute’s Learning Sites (LS) will play a crucial role in enhancing the agricultural supply chain. These sites, which include accredited institutions and farms, are pivotal in training farmers and entrepreneurs. Echavez highlighted that the outputs from these Learning Sites are being integrated into the DA’s ‘Kadiwa’ program, which facilitates direct purchasing of crops from farmers and offers them at reduced prices to consumers. As ATI-10 marks its 38th anniversary and holds a commendable fourth position among all centers nationwide, Efren Macario, the assistant center director, emphasized their commitment to surpassing the expectations set by DA Secretary Francisco Villaluz Jr. Additionally, ATI-10 plans to extend its outreach to the provinces to better understand and meet the training needs of local farmers.
