Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap yesterday led the groundbreaking and capsule-laying activity for the Globe-Department of Agriculture-Gawad Kalinga Farming Institute at the ERH-GK Village in Brgy. Sum-ag, Bacolod City.

The GK Farming Institute is a 2-3 hectare farm establishment adjacent to the existing ERH-GK Village. Roberto Magalona, GK provincial head, yesterday said they intend to put 10 GK Farming Institutes all over the country by the end of 2007.

Other pilot sites for the GK Farm Institute are RCAL GK Village in Lipa, Batangas; Burog GK Village (Aeta Village) in Burog, Tarlac; Canada GK Village in Gasan, Marinduque; GK Panganiban, in Camarines Norte; GK Character Village in Camarines Sur; GK Jollibeee "Bee Happy" GK Village in Southern Leyte; GK Diamond Village in Cagayan de Oro; GK Robinhood Village in Valencia, Bukidnon; and GK Chicago Village in Concepcion, Iloilo.

Magalona said the purpose of the institute is to teach families to properly plant vegetables and other crops for self sufficiency and eventually for income generation.

He said they have adopted the slogan "No More Hunger In a Country of Abundance," and they envision that every GK site will have food sufficiency.

Magalona said they believe people should be taught to plant first to make them self sufficient aside from providing them homes to lift their dignity. "Hopefully, they will implement in other GK communities what they have learned from the institute," he said.

Yap, who came with his national and regional department heads, said he is very excited and willing to assist the project which he believes will address the problem of hunger in the country.

Meanwhile, Magalona said an awarding ceremony will be held today at the ERH-GK Village involving about 90 families.

Sister Dors Villanueva, Handmaids of the Lord chapter head, said they will be turning over seven houses today to the beneficiaries. She said the HOLD found ways to put up these houses and that the project was launched last year.

Villanueva said the houses are supposed to cost P50,000 each but since the prices of construction materials have gone up, it is estimated that these amount to about P60,000 by now.*CGS

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