GUINOBATAN, Albay – “Kailangan natin ito. This is part of the 4th Industrial Revolution. We are now in the digital age. Wala tayong magagawa kundi gawin at i-adopt, dahil kung hindi, mapag-iiwanan tayo. The challenge now for us as educators and as trainers is how to break the fear of technology among farmers.”
Ito ang mensaheng ibinahagi ni Center Dir. Elsa Ani Parot sa pagtatapos ng tatlong araw na pagsasanay tungkol sa Digital Agriculture.
Dalawampong (20) may-ari at tagapagsanay ng mga Learning Sites for Agriculture (LSA) na sertipikado ng ATI ang nagtapos ng Training of Trainers on Digital Agriculture Course (TOT-DAC) for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Service Program (RCEF-RESP).
Ang mga LSA na ito ay akreditado rin ng Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) bilang Farm Schools, at dahil dito maaari silang magsagawa ng pagsasanay tungkol sa Digital Agriculture para sa mga magsasaka. Bilang ahensyang nag-iimplementa ng RCEF-RESP, ang TESDA ay may pondong ilalaan para sa DAC.
“Ginawa ang technology for efficiency and economy, lalo na sa agriculture. Alam natin na isa sa mga problema sa rice production is labor. To offset those problems, we have the apps and technologies,” pahayag ni Director Parot.
Dagdag nya, “We are now dependent on the 20 of you to also education our farmers and our youths, at ang gustong matuto sa agriculture. Whether we like it or not, we are in the fourth Industrial Revolution. With one click of a finger everything is there. We have now to include everything in the value chain, from production to marketing.“
“For us at Department of Agriculture (DA) and Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), it’s not just being productive but also about being profitable. You can produce so much but if you cannot market it very well, where’s the profit there? Economies of costs, how can you even do that?“
“Ginagawa ito ng ATI because we are anchored on the four pillars of Secretary Dar — consolidation, modernization, industrialization, and professionalization. ATI is very active on giving training courses to modernize and professionalize our trainers and Farm Schools as well.”
Kinilala rin ni Director Parot ang kahalagahan ng suporta mula sa Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Local Government Units (LGUs), at mga Farm Schools.
“Ang CBSUA ay sanggang-dikit ng ATI. Salamat sainyo for again doing the job, hindi lang well done but very well done. Also our resource persons from PhilRice and LGU-Polangui, Albay. Salamat sa pagiging parte ng tagumpay ng training na ito. Sabi nga na we ignite the fire within us. Malaki ang pag-asa at malaki ang expectations namin sainyo. Sana katulong namin kayo sa pagpapalaganap nitong Digital Agriculture Course for RCEF.” (ATI Bicol, FB)
