Connie Carillo Diversified Farm in Bingawan: Helping Sustaining a Healthy Community Through Farm Schools

The area around the town of Bingawan, the edge of the central portion of the province is where it ends and the town of Tapaz, Capiz province begins and is very much another unsung corner of Iloilo with warm, friendly, welcoming people.

Bingawan has some rich farming land and farming is at the heart of its village life. The landscapes are gorgeous here; with gentle pastures, to the high mountains.

The area offers some beautiful hikes and bike trails across its lovely rolling meadows, woodland and a few working farms. The town would be less touristic than its neighboring towns but is well worth exploring.

If you are concerned about how organic can contribute to benefit our shared environment, promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved, then a trip to Connie Carillo Diversified Farm is for you.

With the governments’ efforts to improve the knowledge and technical skills of the farmers, the Connie Carillo Diversified Farm in Barangay Cairohan, for example is an extension outreach center of KRYZ Vocational and Technical School, Inc. (KVTS) that envisions as a center of livelihood training programs for the realization of our country’s goal towards economic development. It was established to provide livelihood skills, trends, ideas, opportunities, market and entrepreneurial endeavours, preparing trainees with necessary knowledge, appropriate skills and proper work ethics to become responsible entrepreneurs.

The training farm school being the only service provider in Region Vi accredited by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has benefited farm associations and Day Care and Primary School in the barangay.

Mrs. Connie Carillo with students

The farm facilitates the development of farmers and youth through the ladderized course approach. Connie Carillo Diversified Farm serve as a mentor that assists them in learning by doing farm processes to prepare them as future farm managers and agripreneurs. The farm is also a success in helping small farmers in the community by imparting them farm technologies and knowledge.

A 3-Day Sustainable and Agriculture and Livelihood Trainings is conducted that include Banana, Pineapple, Ginger, Coconut, Stevia, Cassava, Turmeric, Sweet Potato and Squash Production and Processing, Culinary Herb Processing, Vermi Composting and Processing, Organic Fertilizer Production, Organic Feed Formulation, Refreshing Organic Herbs Processing, Infused Vinegar, Duck Raising and Processing, native Chicken Production and Processing and Hito Fattening for Business.

The courses will give you a chance to experience the joy of working with living, organic soils and crops, as well as understanding the principles and practices behind the method of maintaining them. All course topics will be covered both theoretically and experientially. You will also have an opportunity to meet and interact with local growers and farmers who have dedicated their lives to organic production methods.

Many people associate the topic of tourism with overcrowded, chaotic attractions that result in communities that are overrun with tourists. These images can discourage our farmers and other small entrepreneurs from considering Farmtourism as a method of enhancing agriculture revenues. However, the best way to view Farmtourism is to see it much like ecotourism in that it is often low impact, small scale, and education focused.

The learnings available at the KRYZ Vocational and Technical School, Inc and Connie Carillo Diversified Farm are very broad and can be tailored to fit each individual farm or farmer situation. Because most farms in Iloilo are operated by small landowners, there is great opportunity for customization and uniqueness in Farmtourism attractions.

For more information, please contact Mrs. Connie Carillo at 09089289284 or Mr. Sancho Carillo at 09072365960 or Dennis Lampon at 09777152007.

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RePosted with permission from Mr Gilbert Marin / Iloilo Provincial Tourism Officer

Original Article Link >>> Helping Sustaining a Healthy Community Through Farm Schools