Learning began in the community as Indigenous Peoples (IP) of Aglalana engaged in an experiential learning visit focused on practical, community-based practices. This initiative, under the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), aimed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of the IP through first-hand exposure to sustainable agriculture and culture-based enterprise initiatives that may be adapted to support local vegetable farming and livelihood activities of the Aglalana IP Community.

Organized by Capiz State University-Dumarao Satellite College (CapSU-Dumarao) in collaboration with the DOST Capiz, the visit brought the Aglalana community to Santa Ana and Taslan, Tapaz, to see successful local projects in action. They were guided by Mr. Ronilo G. Berondo, President of Berondo Integrated Farm and Learning Sites Inc. (BIFLI), whose farm served as the main site for hands-on learning.

The visit began at Harimuyngan na Turuan Academy, Inc., where participants were introduced to the community’s cultural heritage and locally developed products. Items such as native aromatic rice wine, kapayas chicharon, and peanut turones showcased how traditional knowledge, practical processing, and creativity can create livelihood opportunities while preserving cultural identity of Tapaz, Capiz.

Following this, the team visited Barangay Taslan, where they met with the Bakas Taslan SLP Association, a community group engaged in vegetable cultivation as their primary livelihood. Implemented in partnership with the SM Foundation, the association has successfully established a market linkage with SM Supermarket at SM City Roxas, enabling them to sell their produce and sustain their farming operations. An interactive discussion allowed participants to exchange ideas and gain insights into community-based enterprise management and market access.

The visit concluded at BIFLI, where they were introduced to the farm’s agricultural landscaping and integrated farming operations. These included organic composting, the formulation of organic concoctions and plant extracts, and learning the purpose of agricultural machinery. The hands-on exposure provided participants with practical knowledge on sustainable, efficient, and technology-supported farming practices.

The experiential learning visit offered a meaningful opportunity for shared learning and knowledge exchange, allowing the IP participants, CapSU-Dumarao and DOST Capiz representatives to gain insights from community-driven initiatives that may inform future capacity-building efforts and support for rural and indigenous communities. (LNGGebauer, MCPielago/DOST Capiz; Photos by: LNGGebauer/DOST Capiz)

Photo Disclaimer: Photos included in this article were taken and published with the permission of the Indigenous Peoples of Aglalana.

_{𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 (𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛) 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚&𝘛 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵—𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰.}

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