To strengthen the leadership and organizational knowledge of 33 coffee farmers belonging to the Lusod-Ambasa Ancestral Domains Indigenous Peoples Organization (LAADIPO) in Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet, the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) provided a training program on coffee production for the said Indigenous Peoples Organization (IPO).
In the graduation ceremony held last June 27, 2025, in Tinongdan, Dr. Frank Balanban of the Municipal Veterinarian representing the Agriculture Office of Itogon pointed out to the graduating coffee farmers that only a few are given the privilege to graduate from the Farmers Field School (FSS) implemented by DA-CAR under the Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo or 4K Program, specifically created to cater to the IPOs.
“In the case of LAAD-IPO that is identified as an ancestral domain, we saw the unity among your members and based on the testimonies of your peers, the conduct of the FFS has largely impacted them by improving their leadership, communication, and organizational skills while looking at the potential of the coffee production and enterprise of the organization,” Balamban said.
The 4K Program aims to develop the ancestral domains of the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), leading to improved productivity and increased income while taking into consideration their customs, traditions, values, beliefs, and interests.
LAADIPO member Gerald Leon expressed his appreciation to the DA-CAR for the implementation of the five-month long FFS on Coffee Production that provided additional knowledge in cultivating coffee including coffee nursery, the pests that affects its production, and the required dimensions in an area where coffee seeds are to be planted, aside from the different processes coffee production undergoes.
“Even if we have graduated from this FFS on coffee production, I urge my co-members to continue and apply the knowledge that we have gained so that we will be able to produce more coffee and make it as an enterprise,” Leon stated.
This special program of the DA assists IP farmers in the form of agricultural and fisheries-related livelihood opportunities, investments through the provision of production and post-harvest machinery and equipment, and various support services such as training for IPs through a targeted community needs assessment.
DA-CAR 4K Program focal person Oliver Pe explained that among the provinces in the region, Benguet has two assisted IPOs and one each in the five remaining provinces in the region.