Quezon City, Philippines — The four-day FARM (Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management) Module Development Workshop officially kicked off on September 1, 2026, bringing together farmer leaders, technical experts, resource persons, module developers, and development partners to strengthen training materials on safer and more sustainable crop protection.
Organized by the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA) in partnership with the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), the workshop is being held from September 1–4, 2026 at Ugnayan Hall, Partnership Center, Quezon City.
The activity is part of the project “Promoting Eco-Friendly Crop Protection Solutions for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) Reduction in Asia.” The initiative seeks to support farmers in reducing their reliance on harmful pesticides and transitioning toward safer, environmentally sustainable crop protection solutions.
The workshop focuses on the development and refinement of training modules on Integrated/Alternative Pest Management (APM) and biopesticides. These materials will support upcoming Training of Trainers (ToT) activities in selected locations and help equip farmers and trainers with practical knowledge and approaches for managing pests while reducing the use of hazardous chemicals.
During the four-day workshop, participants will review and provide feedback on draft training modules and crop-specific manuals. The materials are being developed for key crops including rice, corn, onion, cabbage, calamansi, and banana.
A key feature of the workshop is the integration of both technical expertise and farmers’ practical field experiencesinto the training materials. By bringing together farmer-leader commodity experts and technical specialists, the organizers aim to ensure that the modules are scientifically sound while remaining practical and responsive to the realities of farming communities.
The workshop also seeks to ensure that the training materials are gender-responsive, culturally grounded, and accessible to family farmers.
The initiative is being implemented in the Philippines as part of the regional project involving the Philippines and India, implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). In the Philippines, the project is jointly undertaken by the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) as the National Lead Agency and Executing Agency for Technical, and the Philippine Agriculture and Resources Research Foundation, Inc. (PARRFI) as the Executing Agency for Finance and Administration.
The successful kickoff of the workshop marks another step toward developing farmer-centered learning resources that can help communities adopt safer pest management practices, reduce exposure to hazardous pesticides, and promote more sustainable agricultural systems.
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