BPI Foundation’s Project PagSibol to set up foodsheds across the country and conduct hybrid-learning workshops

The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Foundation plans to set up foodsheds across the country to support the livelihood of local communities through its Project PagSibol.

BPI Foundation has partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines to hold hybrid-learning livelihood workshops with farmers as a part of the project. The first two workshops were in Ormoc City, Leyte, and Tigbilabag, Zamboanga.

“We’ve had to find new ways to work around the pandemic, especially with many of our communities suffering more now than ever before. We couldn’t just abandon them to hunger, after all. It was difficult at first, but through hybrid learning, we have found a way to reach out to our communities despite the distances between us,” said Monci Hinay, WWF-Philippines Project Manager.

Members of Nagkahiusang Gagmay’ng Crop Producers sa Dolores (NGCPD) participated in the Ormoc City workshop and of the Association of Tagbalabag Sustainable Agripreneurs Livelihood (ATSAL) in the Tigbilabag event.

The workshop was held to guide the community in establishing an agri-business endeavor as a preliminary activity to the upcoming foodsheds.

Farmers were introduced to WWF-Philippines’ landmark food security system through a lesson on foodshed farming while another module ran participants through the basics of hydroponics gardening.

The modules were delivered via pre-recorded videos and each workshop was facilitated by WWF-Philippines and the Project PagSibol team and consisted of only ten farmers from each community to keep within pandemic guidelines.

Despite the limited number of participants, Hinay expects the workshops to serve as a good foundation for further work in both Ormoc City and Tigbilabag.

Food sheds will be constructed in:

1. Tarlac City
2. La Carlota City, Negros Occidental,
3. Bago City and Sibulan, Negros Oriental,
4. Ormoc City, Leyte,
5. Zamboanga City,
6. Bacolod and Baloi, Lanao del Norte,
7. Arakan, North Cotabato,
8. Malita, Davao Occidental, and
9. General Luna, Surigao del Norte

SOURCE: Manila Bulletin