Strategic Partnership to Expand Capacity Building in the Philippines
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) and East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer (EWS-KT) Philippines, through East-West Seed Philippines, have forged a strategic partnership to scale farmer capacity building and agricultural extension services nationwide.
DA-ATI Director Remelyn Recoter and East-West Seed Philippines General Manager Rachel Lomibao signed the Memorandum of Understanding, witnessed by Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Aukje de Vries, Dutch Ambassador to the Philippines Marielle Geraedts, East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Manager Jane Llanera, and East-West Seed Group Head for Partnerships and Alliances Dr. Mary Ann Sayoc.
The partnership formalizes joint planning, implementation, and evaluation of agricultural extension and farmer capacity-building programs.
What This Partnership Means
EWS-KT has been building the capacity of smallholder farmers in the Philippines for 25 years, partnering with governments, private institutions, NGOs, cooperatives, and communities to share practical knowledge on sustainable vegetable production. Last year alone, we trained more than 16,000 farmers, equipping them with skills and knowledge for resilient, productive, and market-oriented farming.
After working with DA-ATI for several years, EWS-KT was accredited as a DA-ATI Extension Service Provider in early 2024.
Through this new formalized partnership, we aim to empower more smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable and climate-resilient vegetable practices. EWS-KT brings practical horticultural expertise and proven capacity-building systems that develop farmers’ skills and confidence and support extension workers in sustaining productivity, while DA-ATI provides the institutional reach to scale these efforts nationwide. Together, we seek to translate innovation into farmer-led results, strengthening livelihoods and building more resilient vegetable farming communities.
