Proud Agripreneur Opens Farm Academy for Senior High Graduates

(SeniorHigh.PH is a project of DreamWeave, one of Benilde HiFi’s incubatees)

As SeniorHigh.PH seek available opportunities for our senior high students and graduates, we have come across the story of Mr. Nonong Velasco, a proud agripreneur and part-owner of Organic Options, Inc. who is also seeking for potential students for the academy that he is building, called Alamana Farm Academy (AFA).

“We want to mentor and develop youth who want to have their own agri-enterprise in the future.”

Mr. Velasco expressed the sad reality that college graduates who took up agriculture-related courses do not find themselves working in agricultural sector, because of the low-income associated with it. With that, his idea of putting up a training institution that will train the younger generation to appreciate the technology of organic farming and entrepreneurship started to flourish.

(L-R) Kath, Phoebe and Mr. Velasco during their first engagement meeting at Melendres Farm, Antipolo Rizal last June 22, 2017.

As a part of their story, their name, “ALAMANA” comes from two Filipino words “Alaala” (Remembrance) and “Mana” (Inheritance). As a farm academy, they seek to pass on the passion, art, love and knowledge of sustainable farming.

“AFA is run by a group of passionate and experienced farmers, educators and businessmen who want to leave a legacy of a new breed of successful young farmers who will feed the next generations of Filipinos with affordable, nutritious and safe food.”

Thus, with the engagement of AFA with SHPH, they have further identified that this younger generation includes senior high graduates, who may or may not have taken agriculture-related course, but have a passion in farming and/or entrepreneurship.

This serves as an invitation to all youth including senior high graduates from schools who are early adopters of the SHPH program, and also to those students who are currently enrolled but see themselves as part of agri-business sector to be part of this farm school. For full details and recommendation, please contact us on our SeniorHigh.PH Facebook Page. Together, let’s #TakeTheNextBigStep.