Capas, Tarlac— Rosemarie Canda Cajuguiran, an SM Foundation Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan (KSK) farmer-graduate of this town, recently shared how her learnings from the program proved to be useful, especially amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Since the government announced the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to curb the spread of COVID-19 in mid-March, Rosemarie considered herself and her family fortunate to have secured a source of food. She has planted and has been growing some vegetables even before the ECQ started.
“Kahit naka-quarantine kami, kami ay nakakaraos at naitataguyod ng aming pananim. Napakinabangan namin ang mga natutunan ko sa KSK dahil naging marami at naging maganda ang aking mga ani,” Rosemarie shared.
Her produce not just guarantees food for her family’s table, but she also gives some to those who are in need, especially those who are greatly affected by the ECQ.
“Kapag may humihingi, binibigyan ko sila. Kapag gusto naman talaga nilang bilhin, dinadagdagan ko na lang,” she stated.
Rosemarie said she has planted and harvested okra, eggplant, sweet potato, squash, corn, bitter gourd, bataw, patani, spinach, cabbage, saba, calamansi, and bread fruit.
The KSK program has opened a lot of opportunities for her and her family in terms of livelihood, she said.
“Noong ‘di pa nagla-lockdown, nakakapagtinda na kami sa munisipyo at nakakapag-deliver na rin sa Maynila. Kaya napakalaking tulong nitong KSK sa amin.”
She went on to express her gratitude to SM Foundation and extended her prayers for the nation to overcome this pandemic.
Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan (KSK) is SMFI’s Social Good program on sustainable agriculture, which aims to uplift the lives of Filipinos in grassroot communities through sustainable agriculture via technology transfer, product development and farm-to-market linkage.