Antique towns adopt agri-info center
Libertad, Antique -- To help the farmers access the latest technological information in agriculture, forestry and natural resources, the municipalities of Barbaza and Tibiao in the province of Antique have expressed their interests to establish a Farmers' Information and Technology Services (FITS) center.
FITS Center is the banner program of the Department of Science and Technology -- Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD) implemented in the region by Western Visayas Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (WESVARRDEC).
It is a mechanism that provides relevant information and technology services in the field of agriculture and forestry and natural resources. It aims to enhance the linkages among technology generators, servers and adoptors.
"FITS will be a big help to the farmers in our town. We are glad to have a center where our farmers could meet and get relevant information which could help them improve their farming", said Archival Untal, vice mayor of Barbaza.
On his part, Geronimo Flores III, vice mayor of Tibiao, said that the center will empower the farmers in the municipality.
"As a farmer by profession, I understand the situations of our farmers. They need relevant technologies that could sustain their farming. Our farmers will be more knowledgeable", said Flores.
During the presentation of Techno Gabay program to the local officials of the two towns, Reynaldo Dusaran, Techno Gabay coordinator of WESVARRDEC and Dean of Central Philippine University (CPU) College of Agriculture, stressed the need to refocus the extension delivery services of the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO).
"The establishment of FITS Center will help in streamlining the services of LGU to capacitate our farmers who really are in need of latest innovations in agriculture", said Dusaran.
Dusaran added that through FITS centers our farmers would be well informed of the newly generated technologies of the different line agencies of government and state universities and colleges which are members of WESVARRDEC. They would also be connected to the world through the web based databases and internet.
To date, there are already 15 FITS Centers all throughout the region. The latest of which was in Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) Batad Campus.
Another FITS will be launched at Oton, Iloilo on December 7, 2006 which will serve as one stop information shop for the farmers in the municipality.
For more information on the services of FITS centers, please contact WESVARRDEC at University of the Philippines in the Visayas at 033-335-0630.
(Cleto H. Cordero)