The Casiguran Water District management as headed by GM Engr. Eduardo “Ted” Tejada sponsored a Mushroom Culture and Production Livelihood Training Seminar last July 24 – 25, at Orok Cold Spring Resort. The program, aims among others, to provide alternative livelihood for residents, particularly the women, living near the Inlagadian watershed with the end in view of sparing the forest from further destruction and denudation.
GM Tejada said that the Livelihood Program is just but one of the three initial components of the District’s Watershed Protection Program. The other two components are – Tree Nursery and Tree Planting and Educational Campaign.
The objective of the Livelihood Program is simple and straightforward – To provide alternative means of livelihood. The District believes that with livelihood opportunities made available in areas near the watershed, the precious Inlagadian forest will be spared. This will eventually benefit not only Casiguran Water District but also the thousands of water concessionaires in Casiguran, Juban, Gubat and Sorsogon City.
The ambitious undertaking is fully supported by the Local Government of Caiguran as headed by the Hon. Mayor Jose Edwin B. Hamor. The good Mayor even pledged to donate one (1) hectare of land in Inlagadian to boost the Watershed Protection Programs.
Mr. Pedro F. Oliver of the Department of Agriculture Regional Office conducted the Training Seminar. With some fifty participants in the said Training Seminar, the intricacies of mushroom culture and production were introduced. It was learned that this food production technology was the product of long and laborious efforts that took some five years at Los Banos, Laguna by the Department of Agriculture.
During the seminar, the participants were made to appreciate the different by-products of the rare but very nutritious mushroom. Mushrooms, after all, can in fact be made into mushroom achara, mushroom tempura, mushroom soup, mushroom ice cream