By Arlene Edna V. La Vega, Regional Applied Communications, OPA Antique/ WESVARRDEC

TO help augment the income and livelihood of the farmers in Antique, a training on mushroom production was recently conducted at the Farmers Information Technology Services (FITS) Center Sibalom in Sibalom, Antique.

Some 30 farmers from 11 barangays of Sibalom, namely—Igcococ, Tula-tula, Bontol, Lacaron, Inabasan, Initan, Catunggan, Nagdayao, Egaña, Pis-anan and Pangpang—took part in the training.

Marcelo Villavert, an entrepreneur and expert on mushroom growing, stressed on the nutritional value and market potentials of mushroom. For farmers to learn and appreciate the technology better, Villavert led a hands-on demonstration wherein farmers were made to prepare crates where they could plant their spawns. After the lecture screened a video on mushroom production guide, the facilitators also distributed reading materials on the same technology.

Villavert also emphasized that learning does not stop at the training venue but must be applied in the farm and even only in the farmers’ own backyards.