Nearly thirty (30) leaders and representatives of ten Farmers Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs) from municipalities and cities all over the La Union Province attended the two-day workshop entitled “𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗖𝗔𝘀” held by the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office One (DA-RFO1) through its Institutional Development Unit (IDU) at the DA-RFO1 5th Floor Conference Room for August 7-8, 2024.

Other provinces held their two-day workshops in the following dates and locations: July 25-26 for Ilocos Norte at the Ilocos Norte Research and Experiment Center (INREC), Dingras, Ilocos Norte; July 29-30 at the Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC), Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur; and August 1-2 at the Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC), Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

The two-day training involves a wide array of topics intended to amplify FCAs skills and knowledge regarding managing cooperatives and associations including record keeping, bookkeeping, and accounting. This involved hands-on activities regarding the handling of assets and liabilities along with statement reports. As for the basic engine principles, operation, maintenance, safety, and storage, guest of honor speaker Dr. Arnold S. Juliano of PhilRice, Ilocos Norte was the one to iterate the importance of keeping tabs on the FCAs machinery.

The event also included the invitation to successful associations and cooperatives to share their best practices to other FCAs and they are as follows: Bacarra Zanjera Multi-Purpose Cooperative for Ilocos Norte; NSCC Caoayan for Ilocos Sur; San Jose Multi-Purpose Cooperative for La Union; and the Movers Multi-Purpose Cooperative for Pangasinan.

The two-day trainings aimed to enhance FCA leaders’ basic knowledge in running their cooperatives and associations using basic systematic processes and skills in order to help them elevate their farmer members’ way of living.