KSK STARTS SUSTAINABLE AGRI TRAINING IN CAVITE

TANZA, Cavite—Twenty-five participants recently began their Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) training on sustainable agriculture in Barangay Calibuyo, Tanza, Cavite. The training, which is conducted every Tuesday, will run until September 21 with Mr. Nhelson Anterola as the trainer.

The launch was attended by partner agencies and institutions’ representatives. Among the attendees were Marnelle Sumalinog, SM City Tanza Mall Manager; Domingo Austria, Tanza, Cavite Municipal Agriculturist; Carolyn Perez, Tanza, Cavite Municipal Social Welfare, and Development Officer; Nelson Robles, abandoned cacao trees and knowing that I could do something, I began to take care of them so they could be fruitful again. Surprisingly, there were days when I woke up, I always got excited to visit my cacao nursery to check the progress of the newly planted cacao seeds,” he shared.

Some of the tasks he performs on his farm include caring for the seedlings, which Tabale describes as sensitive. He monitors for the right shade and sunlight and waters the seedlings with the ample amount required to keep the soil moist. He also ensures that pests and diseases don’t attack their farms’ cacao trees, fertilizing the soil, weeding, pruning the branches, and sleeving and harvesting mature fruits.

It’s no secret that cacao is the source of numerous well-loved products, with chocolate high–if not first–on the list. So besides being able to enjoy the benefits of farming, Tabale also harnesses its income-generating

Participants of the KSK training will learn about sustainable agriculture and how to market their goods

Jr., DSWD FO4A Provincial Coordinator; Frances Marie Fajardo, DA RFO4A Agriculturist II; Dir. Rosalinda Talavera, TESDA Cavite Provincial Director; Rebecca Tarasona, DTI Cavite CTIDS; Calibuyo Barangay Captain Jesus Garcia; and SMFI’s partner schoolMoCa Family Farm RLearning Center, Inc. representatives, Ms. Gretchen Dalita and Ms. Nonica Clarin. The farmer-beneficiaries will learn how to cultivate highyielding crops suitable to the soil in their farm lots. They will also be capacitated in becoming agri-preneurs through the support of SM Foundation’s partner agencies. Financial literacy, cao tablea or 100 percent dark chocolates. It’s our bestseller. We also have roasted Cacao nibs, Cacao fruits, and roasted corn powder. We are still continuously working with the DA-YFC (DA-Youth Farmers Challenge) to improve our processing, building our products, and buying new machinery to produce new cacao-based products such as cocoa powder and cocoa butter,” Tabale said. He added that their family farm’s long-term goal of producing sweet yet healthy chocolates, which they hope to achieve soon. potential through value-adding.

Tabale has high hopes for his family’s cacao farm, especially since it has given him a renewed purpose and a legacy to maintain–all while sharing in the mission of protecting and preserving Earth’s natural resources.

From harvesting the cacao fruits, Tabale is also hands-on in the other process that takes the raw ingredient into value-added products available in the local market.

The next step after harvesting is opening the pods to obtain the seeds, which they ferment for six to ten days. Then, they sun-dry the fermented beans before moving on to the sorting and selection stages. Once they’ve acquired good-quality beans, they roast them to develop the flavor, kill the bacteria, reduce the moisture, and loosen the outer shell.

Next comes winnowing, the process of removing the cocoa bean’s outer shell while ensuring the meat remains intact. Then, Tabale moves on to grinding the meat to powder or paste, depending on the products’ demands. From there, he takes the necessary steps, like cooling, molding, and more, before achieving the final product for packaging and delivery.

“We manufacture and supply pure ca-