STA. CRUZ, Laguna. Laguna’s young farmers recently achieved notable success in the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Young Farmers’ Challenge (YFC) 2023 Competition. The awarding ceremony took place at the Lipa Grill in Lipa City, Batangas.
Several future-generation agricultural entrepreneurs from Laguna were recognized in the YFC Start-Up (Open Category) Provincial Awards. The awardees include:
- Tanim Kabihasnan by Mr. Endrei Dale B. Dela Cruz from Biñan City
- Zoila’s House of Bees by Ms. Ava Minaeir S. Velasco from Nagcarlan
- Aesthetic Aquaponic by Mr. Jerwin L. Patiga from Calamba City
- Fish & Greens Solar Aquaponic Garden & Smoothie Place by Ms. Dianne S. Pagalanan from Sta. Cruz
- JG Shoeshine Enterprise by Mr. Jerald A. Gorgonia and Mr. Darwin D. Alejandrino from Famy
- Green Growth Solutions by Mr. Emmanuel A. Abarquez from Majayjay.
In addition, the YFC Start-Up (Open Category) Regional Awardees were JG Shoeshine Enterprise by Mr. Jerald A. Gorgonia and Mr. Darwin D. Alejandrino. The YFC Enterprise Scaling-Up: UPSCALE Regional Awardee was Valentin Integrated Farm by Roanne Joy A. Valentin from Majayjay, Laguna.
Since its establishment in 2021, the DA’s YFC program has allocated a total of P149.25 million as start capital funds for 2,955 young farmers, commonly referred to as “agri-preneurs,” facilitating the initiation of their agricultural business ventures.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.