Bringing agriculture closer to the youth

Under the partnership, PSFI, through its Shell Training Centre (STC) in Pililla, Rizal, provides hands-on activities to MNHS students taking up Crop Production, a prerequisite subject for Organic Agriculture; this is part of the academic track in the General Academic Strand, of which Organic Agriculture is an elective course. Once the students have passed the Crop Production subject, they already can apply for the Agricultural Crops Production National Certification II from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

In 2015, PSFI started its collaboration with MNHS by conducting an orientation on agriculture as a career option for Grade 10 students; 59 of them are now senior high school students pioneering in the agriculture strand and are undergoing activities in crop production at STC Pililla. Their immersion commenced on July 22 and is facilitated every Friday until October 13, 2017. Activities are centred on soil fertility management, organic fertilizer production; crop production, including plant propagation; and farm tool, machinery, and equipment identification and use.

Nerissa Dalumpines, MNHS principal, expressed her gratitude for PSFI’s assistance to their school. Moreover, Eulogio Guinto, an agriculture graduate himself and MNHS Senior High School Programme Coordinator, hopes that the students realize the livelihood and career opportunities in agriculture and its importance in contributing to the country’s food security.

MNHS is one of the very few schools in Rizal offering agriculture courses in their Senior High School Programme.

By Maria Pamela Castro and Bernard Camano
Article published on PSFI news magazine October 2017 issue