Communities across Northern Mindanao, including those in the hinterlands, are significantly benefiting from various agriculture and fisheries programs, bolstered by the support of stakeholders and local government units.

Joshua Mercado, media specialist of the Agriculture Training Institute (ATI), said notable improvements over four years were observed in the Higaonon Indigenous People (IP) communities of Barangay Minalwang in Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

“ATI and Greenminds, Inc., helped (residents of Sitio) Kalhaan not by giving what would run out tomorrow but by building what would last forever: Skills, systems and self-worth,” Mercado said in his report Tuesday.

In collaboration with the non-government organization Greenminds, ATI introduced a series of training sessions aimed at capacitating IP farmers with enhanced skills and techniques, as they also venture into selling their local produce.

In Sagay, Camiguin, the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources benefited the Sagay Inland Fish Grower Association with a successful tilapia harvest.

Over 200 kilograms of tilapia, equivalent to 1,175 pieces with an average body weight of 194 grams, were harvested from a communal fishpond following a six-month culture period.

In an interview Tuesday, association president Mitchel June Cubelo said the knowledge and experience gained in culturing tilapia through SAAD motivated them to establish their own fishpond.

“May this provide us with additional motivation and unity to further develop our group and continue the success of our upcoming projects,” she said. (PNA)