Disseminating agricultural knowledge via ICT

Four government agencies have joined forces to spread knowledge in agriculture via information and communication technology (ICT).

In a memorandum of agreement signed recently at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development  (DOST-PCARRD), DAP, the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the Department of Land Reform (DLR) will adopt ICT as a tool in bringing the latest agricultural technology innovations to the doorsteps of potential users.     

Called Knowledge Networking towards Enterprising Agricultural Communities (K-AGRINET), the program seeks to provide farmers, fisherfolk, extension workers, and agri-entrepreneurs in the rural areas with ICT-enabling tools for acquiring technological information.

Within the program are four government agency initiatives: DA-PhilRice’s Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture; DOST-PCARRD’s e-Consortia and e-Farm; and DLR and DAP’s e-AGRIkultura.

Focusing on e-extension and distance learning approach, the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture will package available information, data, and knowledge in agriculture into Web-based information services.

Tasked to take care of the knowledge generation of the entire program, the e-Consortia, on the other hand, intensifies technology and knowledge generation and exchange among existing partner research and development (R&D) institutions.

The e-Farm will promote use of knowledge-based information and technology services in strategic areas for agriculture, forestry and natural resources for micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Giving importance on community support and participation, the e-AGRIkultura project, for its share, seeks to reach the end-users of the technologies to create enterprising agricultural community. — Ricardo R. Argana, S&T Media Service