SM FOUNDATION launched Thursday another Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan farmers training program in San Simon, one of the hinterland barangays in Cagayan de Oro.

Around 120 farmers from different hinterland barangays in the city are set to join the training. They were the second batch of the beneficiaries and the 46th batch nationwide who will undergo a three-month training on new farming technology and different methods, which will be facilitated by SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Agriculture and Harbest Agribusiness Corp.

This livelihood program of SM Foundation was launched last year in Barangay Canitoan. It aims to help the farmers improve their productivity.

Arsenio Barcelona, president of Harbest Agribusiness, said through this training, farmers will be equipped with new, proper and tested agricultural technologies for short-term, high-value commercial crops production.

Barcelona said they will also assist the farmers in market development, land preparation, sowing and identifying types of diseases.

He said farmers will be given hands-on training on the proper way of growing more than 20 quality crops and vegetables commonly used in such recipes as pinakbet and chopsuey.

Barcelona said 80 percent of the fertilizers introduced in the training are organic.

Cristy Angeles, SM Foundation vice president for livelihood, said Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan, which was launched five years ago as a joint undertaking of private and government agencies, is the best program to help the marginal farmers in the country improve their production.

Angeles urged farmers to avail of the program and finish the module until the end so that when they graduate, they will be equipped with the correct and effective way of farming.

She said during their graduation day, the farmers’ produce will be introduced and sold to SM, to give them an opportunity to become suppliers.

However, Angeles said they are not forcing the farmers to sell their produce solely to SM.

She said they will be more satisfied if farmers will learn from their trainings.

Angeles said she will be back in Cagayan de Oro after three months to witness the graduation of the beneficiaries and collect possible outputs.