TARLAC – Fresh produce such as vegetables, root crops and fruits harvested by farmer-graduates of SM Foundation Inc.’s (SMFI) Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) are now being sold at SM City Tarlac every weekend, as part of SMFI’s Sustainable Livelihood Program.
The fresh produce can be found at the mall’s lower ground floor every Friday, and at the DTI Trade Fair every Saturday and Sunday.
“KSK is shifting its activities in helping graduates by providing market exposure in institutionalized selling,” said Cristie Angeles, AVP of SMFI Outreach Programs.
She also noted that the scholarship program helped enhance the skills of its farmer graduates and encouraged them to become entrepreneurs amidst economic challenges, changing weather conditions, and limited planting space and resources.
With the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other partner agencies, KSK continues to hone the talents of the graduates as well as strengthen their interest in farming by helping them become entrepreneurs through pop-up booth activities in participating SM Malls.
DA provides farm inputs, market linkages and other technical support, while DSWD helps in organizing, mobilization of KSK graduates and social preparations. DTI offers entrepreneurial mind-setting, formalizes the business documents of participating farmers, assists in developing farm bi-products and includes KSK farmers in DTI’s related activities.
“We thank SM Foundation for helping us farmers by providing free training and now by accommodating us in marketing our products. It’s a complete cycle of farming, training and marketing,” Emma Tolentino, KSK Batch 49 year 2011 and owner of Eco Natural Learning Site, said.
Since 2007, the KSK Program has produced 23,170 farmers trained in high-value crops with a total of 187 farmers’ training sessions. It is SM’s way of giving back to the communities it serves making it one of the pillars of SMFI’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programs.
