AGREA and TESDA Marinduque Launch Coconut Farmers Scholarship Training for 21 Organic Agriculture Scholars

AGREA Foundation and TESDA Marinduque inducted 21 scholars into Organic Agriculture Production NC II under the Coconut Farmers Scholarship Program. Here is what the 32-day training involves.

A new cohort begins in Marinduque

Last Wednesday, 21 scholars began a 32-day training program in Organic Agriculture Production NC II under the Coconut Farmers Scholarship Program (CFSP). The Training Induction Program was conducted by AGREA Foundation in partnership with TESDA Marinduque, through Scholarship Focal Person Ms. Mayella Layag.

The induction is a standard part of TESDA scholarship delivery. Its purpose is to ensure that scholars understand the commitments attached to their scholarship grant, the benefits available to them, and the expectations for completion. In practical terms, it marks the transition from selection to training, the point at which a scholarship becomes a daily routine of learning, practice, and assessment.

For AGREA Farm School, which operates as a TESDA-accredited training provider in Marinduque, this cohort adds to a growing number of scholars trained under the CFSP. The program is not an isolated intervention. It sits within AGREA’s broader work to strengthen agricultural livelihoods on the island and to build what the organisation calls a One Island Economy.

What the Coconut Farmers Scholarship Program provides

The CFSP is a TESDA scholarship program implemented under Republic Act No. 11524, the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act. It provides free skills training, entrepreneurship training, daily training support, and accident insurance coverage to coconut farmers and their families. The program is designed to help beneficiaries improve their agricultural practices, diversify their income, and access new livelihood opportunities while coconut trees are not yet productive or when farm income alone is insufficient.

Organic Agriculture Production NC II is one of the qualifications offered under the CFSP. At AGREA Farm School, the OAP NC II course runs for 232 hours, delivered through enterprise-based or institution-based training modes. The 32-day training period described in the induction announcement is consistent with the intensive, full-time format used for CFSP cohorts, and it combines technical instruction with practical farm work.

The qualification covers organic farming principles, sustainable crop production, and livestock management. Graduates are assessed against national competency standards and, if successful, receive a National Certificate II from TESDA. For coconut farmers, this credential can open pathways into organic vegetable production, native animal raising, and other enterprises that complement coconut farming.

Why organic agriculture, and why coconut farmers

Marinduque’s agricultural economy has long depended on coconut. Many smallholder farmers manage one-hectare coconut farms and earn modest incomes from copra, often waiting long periods between harvests and payments. AGREA’s work on the island has focused on intercropping and diversification—turmeric, vegetables, and other high-value crops to smooth income and make better use of land under coconut.

Organic production is central to that strategy. It reduces dependence on purchased inputs, uses farm waste as fertiliser, and aligns with growing demand for chemical-free produce in local and export markets. For farmers, the shift is not only technical but entrepreneurial: it requires understanding costs, pricing, supply consistency, and buyer requirements.

That is why the CFSP includes entrepreneurship training alongside technical skills. The program’s objective is not simply to teach farmers how to grow organically, but to equip them to run organic enterprises that can survive beyond the training period.

AGREA’s approach: skills, confidence, and community

AGREA Farm School describes its role in broader terms than competency-based training. In the organisation’s framing, agriculture is not only a livelihood but a pathway to transformation for individuals, families, and communities.

This orientation shows up in how the Farm School works with scholars. Training is hands-on and farm-based. It includes not only production techniques but also values formation, leadership, and the confidence to see oneself as a food producer with something to contribute. The school’s track record includes a 98 per cent passing rate in TESDA assessments, according to a 2024 account by AGREA founder Cherrie Atilano.

The Farm School is located on a two-hectare property in Barangay Cawit, Boac, Marinduque. It operates as an accredited private extension service provider for TESDA Marinduque and as a TESDA-accredited assessment centre for Organic Agriculture Production NC I. Its programs are supported by TESDA scholarship vouchers, which fund cohorts of scholars each cycle.

For the 21 scholars in this cohort, the next 32 days will involve early mornings, practical farm tasks, written and oral assessments, and the less visible work of building confidence in a field that many were told was not for them. The induction marks the beginning of that process, not its conclusion.

What happens after the training

The immediate next step is completion and assessment. Scholars who pass the competency assessment will receive their NC II certification. For some, the qualification will support work on their own farms or family land. For others, it may open opportunities in organic production, farm management, or agricultural enterprises.

AGREA Foundation’s broader objective is to see these skills translate into livelihoods that remain on the island. The One Island Economy model is built on the idea that Marinduque can produce more of what it consumes, keep more value within its communities, and reduce its dependence on imported food and external inputs. Training a new cohort of organic agriculture practitioners is one contribution to that larger goal, alongside market development, farm clustering, and community organising.

The Foundation has documented graduate stories that illustrate this trajectory. One CFSP graduate, Janet, completed 32 days of OAP NC II training at AGREA Farm School and has since applied her learning to growing vegetables on family land and raising pigs, with plans to expand her livelihood in Marinduque. Her experience reflects the program’s intended outcome: technical competence combined with the confidence to apply it.

These are individual outcomes, not yet island-wide transformation. The work is ongoing, and the Foundation’s own communications distinguish between what has been achieved and what it is working toward. The induction of 21 new scholars is a beginning, and the measure of its success will be what those scholars do with their training in the months and years that follow.

A note for future scholars

TESDA Marinduque and AGREA Farm School regularly announce scholarship slots for coconut farmers and their families. Interested applicants can inquire with the TESDA Marinduque Provincial Office or with AGREA Farm School in Barangay Cawit, Boac. Eligibility and documentary requirements are set by TESDA and should be confirmed with the implementing office before applying.