Farmers in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, are breaking new ground with the support of SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) on Sustainable Agriculture program. After a transformative 14-week training, they are now equipped with modern farming practices and entrepreneurial skills to face challenges and create opportunities in agriculture—a vital sector that continues to employ a quarter of the Filipino workforce and contributes significantly to the country’s economy.

Since its inception in 2007, the SM Foundation’s Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK) on Sustainable Agriculture program has been striving to help in uplifting farmers from vulnerable communities. The program has equipped farmers with modern farming techniques and entrepreneurial skills to boost their capabilities. 

Among the recent graduates are 100 farmers from Laoag, Ilocos Norte. After completing a 14-week training program, they are now better prepared to address challenges and seize opportunities in the agricultural sector.

Ferdinand Claro, one of the recent graduates, shared how the program has transformed their approach to farming. “Before KSK, we were simply reacting to problems as they came—no plan, no strategy. Floods and strong winds would wipe out what little we had during typhoons,” he said.

The training covered sustainable farming techniques such as organic practices, crop rotation, and climate-resilient strategies, alongside essential business skills like financial literacy, bookkeeping, and marketing.

With these new skills, farmers are scaling up operations and diversify into livestock farming. This is set to be supported by a two million seed capital, recently turned over in Laoag by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The grant, distributed collectively among the associations, will be used to build animal shelters, purchase livestock, and procure animal feed, enabling farmers to diversify their income sources.

With the combined support, the new batches were able to establish their farmer’s associations. They are now selling fresh produce in their communities, with one association earning P8,000 from their demo farm. 

Apart from selling in local markets, they are set to supply fresh goods to the DSWD’s Zero Hunger Program in Laoag, a hunger mitigation and nutrition security initiative.

Full circle: From KSK trainee to trainer 

John Lei Ganiron, the trainer of the batch, is a former KSK graduate. 

An electronics and communications engineer (ECE), he left his telecommunications career to return to his farming roots in Ilocos Norte. Motivated by his father's hard work as a farmer to support their family and his education, he chose to continue his family’s livelihood.

“My father’s sacrifices as a farmer to support our family and send me to engineering school were not lost on me. I wanted to honor his efforts by giving back to the farming community and sharing new knowledge with my fellow farmers,” he said.

Determined to learn, he joined the KSK program in 2015. There, he discovered a broader vision of farming that combined sustainable agricultural practices, agripreneurship, ecological stewardship, and community development. 

After graduating from the program, he applied what he had learned to their family farm while establishing one of the first TESDA-accredited farm business schools in Ilocos Norte.

Now, as a KSK trainer, John Lei has come full circle, witnessing the graduation of his students–his fellow KSK farmers. 

The KSK farmers in Laoag are contributing to the SM Foundation’s mission of uplifting communities. The new batch focuses on supporting programs that address food and nutrition, while KSK alumnus John Lei shares modern farming techniques with fellow farmers, reflecting the foundation's commitment to social good.

The recent KSK is conducted in partnership with SM Supermalls, DSWD, DTI, DOST, DA, DOLE, TESDA, and the Local Government of Laoag City.