A feature story on one of the farmer beneficiaries of Cacao FEAST
The Cacao FEAST project does not only focus on improving the technical skills of farmer beneficiaries. “The biggest change brought by the project is not only the technology on cacao farming, but the knowledge in managing my household,†says farmer beneficiary and overseer, Elmer Donaire.
Elmer attended the 3-day Household Development Approach (HHDA) simulation training facilitated by HHDA Consultant, Dr. Ervin B. More at the CIDAMi office held earlier this year. With HHDA, the Cacao FEAST project encourages farmers to make a few, but significant, changes to how their families communicate with each other, track their spending, and plan their income. HHDA can contribute towards making a household where each member does his or her share in nurturing the family’s source of livelihood.
During the HHDA training, Elmer shared that he supported his family’s needs through farming, processing banana chips and being the Agrikulturang Mamayan sa Barangay Extension Technician (AMBET). After his simulation training, Elmer went home and quickly arranged for their first-ever family meeting to set their income and budget goals. Elmer admits applying his HHDA knowledge to his family was quite a challenge, but he was determined.
The project coordinators, other farmers and Elmer himself have observed how different his household now is. To his amazement, family members now eagerly participate and divide tasks among themselves. His wife now shares his passion for farming, helps bag seedlings and keeps track of their income and budget. Their children also assist in the nursery by bagging and planting seeds. Elmer admits that HHDA not only contributed in boosting their family income, but more importantly, it was able to create a more harmonious family life and make farming a family affair.