MANILA, Philippines – Farmer leaders from various provinces gather to learn about agro-enterprise development and leadership skills through the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program supported by DoubleDragon Properties Corp. The lack of access to appropriate agricultural technology and a steady market has long been a major challenge for smallholder farmers. This often results in farmers’ low income.Through the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program of Jollibee Group Foundation, together with its partners as well as the support of the local government of San Jose City, the Department of Agriculture and DoubleDragon, farmers are now working together and earning more. Initiated in 2008, FEP aims to help increase the income of smallholder farmers by linking them to institutional markets such as Jollibee Foods Corp. and supermarkets. Since its launch, the program has assisted more than 900 farmers from across the country. An important initiative under the program was the Farmer Leaders’ Training Series where 50 farmers from different farmer groups underwent training on agro-enterprise clustering and leadership values to strengthen their skills in organizational management.