Six out of the 8 regional winners of the 2017 search for the National Organic Agriculture Achievers’ Awards (NOAAA) made it to the national level.
These are: Mr. Rogel A. Marsan Family, Outstanding Farming Family, Benguet; Municipal Local Government Unit (MLGU) of Itogon, Outstanding Municipality, Benguet; La Trinidad Organic Practitioners Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LaTOP MPC), Outstanding Small Farmers Group, Benguet; Ms. Catherine Buenaventura, Outstanding Provincial Focal Person, Ifugao; Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Ifugao, Ifugao; and Ms. Rowena Gonnay, Outstanding Agricultural Extension Worker, Kalinga.
The NOAAA was opened to all LGUs (provinces, cities and municipalities), provincial and city/municipal focal persons, AEWs, farmers’ organization, small farmers and farming families with exemplary contribution and unwavering support towards the implementation of RA 10068 and achievement of the National Organic Agriculture Program’s envisioned goals.
The National Organic Agriculture Program (NOAP) together with the National Technical Search Committee (NTSC) will be conducting a field validation for the shortlisted nominees for the 2017 NOAAA.
For field validation in the Cordillera, August 9-11 is scheduled for MLGU Itogon, LaTOP MPC, and Marsan Family, September 11-12 for PLGU Ifugao, Ms. Catherine Buenaventura, Provincial Focal Person, and Ms. Rowena Gonnay, Agricultural Extension Worker. The final deliberations will be on September 13-15, 2017.
According to Ms. Precil Sales, alternate focal person of OAP-CAR, completion of the scrap books and documents submitted and their 3rd party certification was the big factor that affected the nominees to be included in top 3 for each category which made them finalists.**Leny Mendoza
