ATI Mimaropa Center Director Pat Andrew B. Barrientos welcomes participants on the collaborative meeting held at ATI Regional Training Center in Barcenaga, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. (Photo by: Luis T. Cueto)
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro (PIA) – The Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) Mimaropa based in Barcenaga, Naujan will conduct its third batch of School-on-the-Air on Smart Rice Agriculture (SOA-SRA) program dubbed as ‘Makabagong Pagsasaka sa Himpapawid’ on August 2 until October 13, 2021 in the Second District of the province.
ATI Mimaropa Center Director Pat Andrew Barrientos said SOA-SRA program will focus on the entire rice value chain featuring Department of Agriculture-International Rice Research Institute (DA-IRRI) cutting edge technologies on the broader context of climate change.
“The overall message treatment of the program will be mainly ‘edutainment’ while the formal will be a combination of a radio magazine, public affairs and formal school-on-the-air program,” Barrientos said.
SOA-SRA is a unified radio-based distance learning program for provinces with rice yields below four tons per hectare.
ATI Mimaropa Information Officer II Erlan D. Pasana explains the mechanics of SOA-SRA program. (Photo by: Luis T. Cueto)
Information Officer II Erlan D. Pasana explained the primary purpose of the program which facilitates the massive and sustained education of smallholder farmers on smart rice agriculture through radio, thereby linking them with the basic knowledge, technology and other support providers of the rice industry.
Likewise, the program heightens awareness and mobilizes strong support and involvement of the rural populace in agriculture program. It engages government agencies, local government units (LGUs), civil society organizations, private sector, media and local radio station.
ATI Mimaropa targeted at least 600 rice farmers of Oriental Mindoro through its collaboration with the Municipal Agriculture Offices (MAOs) in the second district composed of the municipalities of Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Mansalay and Bulalacao. Each municipality pledged the number of enrollees in the program to reach the actual target of ATI.
The requirements to qualify as participant to the program include the following: He/She is willing to listen and participate on a twice a week one-hour radio broadcast of SOA program; He/She must answer the pretest, short quizzes, long exam and post-test being asked by the program and submit to ATI-Mimropa through coordinators; He/She must follow the rules and regulations set by ATI-Mimaropa during the implementation of the activity; and He/She must be a member of an organized group also and has already received any extension support from DA.
A culminating activity will be held after the duration of the program and each farmer student is expected to attain a passing rate of 75% out of the following components: short quizzes (25%), long exam (35%) and post-test (40%).
Top 10 outstanding students per municipality will be selected for their exemplary performance in participating to the program. Each of the top 10 will be given one sack of organic fertilizer, one sack of certified seeds, and one set of knapsack sprayer. On the other hand, the Top 5 avid texters in the program will also be selected and they will receive the same as what the Top 10 students will receive.
