EVERY FRIDAY of each week, ladies in blue shirt at the lower ground floor (near JB Music) of SM City Iloilo tending to fresh vegetables for sale have become a usual sight to shoppers who pass by the area.
This is because the Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) of SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) has embarked on a sustainable project to provide opportunities for farmers to market their produce through the SMFI-KSK Trade Fair launched in April 2022.
It is during the trade fair that KSK participants are given a chance to experience institutional selling by providing them with an avenue to sell their produce, which are the output of their prior training in the KSK program with the help of partner government agencies and private groups. In Iloilo the recent partner farm school is the Centre For Agriskills And Livelihoods, Inc. in Barangay Magancina, Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
The KSK program was created for the purpose of helping communities in the grassroots reach a wider audience, and assist them in sustaining their efforts which are essential for them to have an assured market after harvest.
Under the KSK program, farmers are provided with training on modern farming technologies that would help them achieve bountiful harvests by providing them Agri Starter Kits, which include vegetable seeds and other farm implements, enough to cultivate a 100-square-meter land space.
The vegetable and fruits cultivated in backyards or small farm lots end up in the Trade Fair wherein proceeds from the sale are used by the participants for their next cropping and to sustain their household expenses.
In addition to the KSK participants, small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the pandemic were also invited to the trade fair to help them bounce back. The fair also served as a venue for partner government agencies to inform the public about their programs and services.
The SMFI KSK Trade Fair is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Department of Trade and Industry./PN
