DA-ATI’s Pistang Ani Festival Invites PAA for CSR Talks
The Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) invited the Philippine Association of Agriculturists’ Inc. (PAA) for a talk on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives during the 2025 Pistang Ani Festival and Field Day held at the Quezon City University in Novalichez last 28-30 June.
Dr. Jessica D. Rey, PAA Business Manager and CSR co-chair, delivered a significant talk on "𝑷𝑨𝑨’𝒔 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒊-𝒖𝒓𝒃𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒏𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒔." The event highlighted the critical role of community in advancing urban agriculture, emphasizing sustainable practices that improve food security and people’s well-being.
Her presentation focused on innovative approaches to transferring agricultural technologies tailored for urban and peri-urban environments, where space and resources are limited but the demand for fresh produce is high. Among these were the establishment of urban gardens, backyard farms, edible gardens, and smart farms, which are transforming how cities produce food sustainably. For example, the PAA helped organize a team to develop and teach soilless crop production to Filipino communities which highlights the use of simple styrobox hydroponics set-ups to more sophisticated indoor prototypes and training of various stakeholders in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
She also underscored the importance of collaborative models involving local governments, private sectors, and community stakeholders to ensure effective dissemination and adoption of these technologies.
Additionally, the seminar explored CSR activities that encourage organizations and agencies to support agriculture initiatives. Dr. Rey discussed the CSR objectives of PAA as part of its extension and public service mandate through support in Agriculturists’ Licensure Examination (ALE) review sessions; conduct of free webinars, roundtable discussions, and information caravans; and institution of youth engagements in agriculture. Such programs can foster partnerships that not only enhance agricultural productivity but also contribute to social and environmental sustainability within urban and rural communities.
This lecture was part of a broader celebration of Pistang Ani aimed at promoting agricultural productivity and celebrating harvests.
