Science City of Muñoz – To help farmers and cooperative members earn extra income, PhilRice organized a training on agricultural entrepreneurship, 6-7 August. 
Titled Growing Agripreneurs: Mind Setting for Agri-entrepreneurship, 25 farmers from the Rural Transformation Movement (RTM) pilot sites in Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Los Baños, and Bicol participated in the training.
Training facilitator Dr. Rene Resurreccion, a licensed trainer of the Competency-based Economies through Formation of Enterprise approach, taught the participants how to use the Entrefarm Game designed to teach basic entrepreneurship to farmers. It includes modules on basic entrepreneurial farming, negotiation and building cooperatives, processing, and exporting farm products.
“The game is very effective to farmers because of its realistic approach on how to venture into business. It is participatory, and they (farmers) can relate easily because they play and learn at the same time,” Resurreccion said.
The game is composed of four modules on farming and production, marketing and cooperativism, packaging of products, and livestock and exportation. Other aspects such as pest management, fertilizer management, budgeting, and family matters were also taught in the training.
“We have learned to look into all the components before venturing into business. You need to choose which will give you a better return on investment,” shared Annarose Rivera, farmer-participant from Bicol. 
The participants also toured the station and learned the latest technologies on farm mechanization, and integrated farming.
They were also taught how to produce the milky mushroom (Calocybe indica) at PhilRice’s Palayamanan site.
“The milky mushroom is like a bigger version of our oyster mushroom. You can integrate it with your crops like rice and the produce can be used as medicine. The only difference is it requires a bigger area or case since the produce is bigger than our usual oyster mushroom,” said Salvacion Santiago, PhilRice researcher.
A similar training started on 18 August at PhilRice Agusan to cater to farmer-participants from RTM pilot sites in Agusan del Norte, Bukidnon, North Cotabato, and Negros Occidental.
