The CBSUA provided support for the Food for the Hungry Philippines (FHP) during the conduct of an immersive Training on Digital Financial Literacy, Farm Record Keeping with Cost and Return Analysis, and Orientation on the application of the Online Microfinance System on July 19, 2023, at the Zane Hotel in Daet, Camarines Norte. The FHP organized this initiative in cooperation with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources- Department of Agricultural Economics, and the Digital Agriculture and Innovation Center (DAIC), both of CBSUA, to capacitate community-based and self-help savings groups in Camarines Norte.
FHP is an active non-government organization with a branch office in Camarines Norte. CBSUA and FHP collaborated to extend development intervention in rural areas by adopting agricultural technologies and exploring digital approaches to enhance the operation of their community-based economic activities, such as savings initiatives and income-generating projects.
The activity successfully mobilized and trained 56 representatives of 16 savings groups from various municipalities in Camarines Norte. The CBSUA resource persons promoted financial inclusion, leadership, and economic empowerment through essential skills in managing finances effectively. Furthermore, the activity equipped the FHP’s community partners with the knowledge and tools required to navigate the digital financial landscape and maintain accurate financial records as a fundamental basis for decision-making.
Prof. Andrew S. Arellano, a faculty from CANR-Agricultural Economics Unit, discussed Digital Financial Literacy and Farm Record Keeping with Cost and Return Analysis. In a simple and exciting way, he expertly introduced various digital financial services such as mobile banking, digital wallets, and online payment platforms. He also assisted the participants in understanding the importance of financial planning, creating a budget, setting financial goals, and making informed spending decisions to achieve financial stability.
Moreover, the Online Systems on Microfinance developed by the CBSUA: Digital Agriculture and Innovation Center, through the leadership of Dr. Vladimir R. Foronda and technical programming support of Mr. Karlos Miguel Haber, was initially introduced to the group. A separate section of this system was purposely dedicated to FHP and its partners – as the system’s first set of savings group users. They were oriented on the functionalities of this newly developed web application that allows savings group members, leaders, and their assisting NGOs to digitally record and monitor savings information in real-time, using smartphones. The system is securely operating through the CBSUA-DAIC cloud services. Mr. Karlos Miguel Haber did the orientation.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing gratitude for the knowledge gained and how it empowered them to take control of their financial lives. Several attendees shared their intentions to implement the lessons immediately, demonstrating the tangible impact of the training. | 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘔𝘴. 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘻-𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘌𝘚𝘋 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧
