Entrepreneurship is crucial in driving economic growth and fostering innovation in the agriculture and aquatic sectors. As market demands evolve, agribusiness stakeholders must adapt by developing the right skills and mindset. Capacity-building programs help small agribusinesses become more competitive by giving people and organizations the tools to overcome challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.
One such initiative is the ‘Diskartepreneur’ – an annual training program that aims to sharpen the skills of entrepreneurs in the agriculture and aquatic sectors. The five-day training covered Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs), design thinking and innovation, marketing strategies, and business operations.
Diskartepreneur focuses on the concept of design thinking, offering the participants a new approach to product development, focusing first on the needs of their target market. Throughout the training, the participants worked in groups, prompting each member to lean into their strengths, generate innovative ideas, and work collaboratively towards achieving their goals.
For its third run, Diskartepreneur has brought together 25 participants from eight institutions from Laguna, Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Pampanga, and Metro Manila. They are agricultural producers, extension workers, and agribusiness development partners.
As part of the training challenge, each group developed a product for a specific persona with a challenge: the product must utilize any part of the banana plant as one of its ingredients. The teams showcased their creativity by producing unique prototypes such as ‘sisig,’ ‘tanghulu,’ chips, and various chilled treats.
Recognizing the significance of regulatory compliance, Diskartepreneur also partnered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to provide insights on business registration and taxation—essential knowledge for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) aiming to access larger markets.
As part of the training program, the participants joined and sold their products at the UPLB Christmas Bazaar. This hands-on experience allowed them to apply their learning in production, marketing, finance, and human resources.
Diskartepreneur is a program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), led by its Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD). It is conducted in partnership with the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB-DAME) and spearheaded by the Agri-Aqua Business Hub (AABH).
