The face-to-face component of the Rice: Research to Production (RR2P) Course under the DA-IRRI SERVE Project welcomed 45 participants at IRRI Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna for a 5-day training on various rice research and production topics and areas of concern on May 22 to 26.
Joined by 32 staff from different Department of Agriculture regional field offices and attached agencies, 7 participants from various local government units (LGUs), and 6 instructors from different state universities and colleges (SUCs), the training aimed to provide supplemental knowledge and learning to the participants through field visits, short lectures, community exposure, and immersion with distinguished rice scientists and experts.
“This will not be an easy week for you (participants) because we have a lot of activities to do to test if natuto nga ba kayo sa online (course). I would like you to take this opportunity to ask the hard questions to your resource persons. This is your chance to interact and masagot yung mga hindi nyo pa alam,” said Dr. Madonna Casimero, IRRI Senior Scientist and DA-IRRI SERVE Project Leader.
The face-to-face component provided the participants with lectures and hands-on activities on important rice science topics such as rice plant morphology and growth stages, digital farming technologies, rice varieties and ecosystems, and major rice insect pests and diseases.
The participants also had the opportunity to visit key rice research and production facilities such as the IRRI Genebank, Post-Harvest and Mechanization, Plant Growth Facility, and Centralized Post-Harvest Operations.
On the fourth day of the course, the participants were also immersed in the rice farming community of Victoria, Laguna to assess and evaluate their local rice industry through different participatory research methods and approaches.
“This training not only enhanced my knowledge and skills related to rice science and rice production but also provided an avenue for me to be more collaborative, enhance my critical thinking ability, and make me more appreciative of the new technologies and efforts of IRRI and other institutions for the betterment of rice farming communities,” expressed John Joward Martillana, Agricultural Technologist from LGU Pitogo, Quezon Province and a participant of the course.
The participants also find the entire course rewarding and expressed how it has helped them to become better agents of change in their respective fields and communities.
“The experience is rewarding. My exposure to the community provided us with an idea of what innovations and research to work on. We learn the value of teamwork through interacting with other participants. This training increased our knowledge, strengthened our practical skills, and changed our attitudes towards rice farming,” stated Sheyll De Leon, Instructor from Bulacan Agricultural State College and one of the six participants from SUCs.
The course concluded on May 26 with the recognition rites of the 45 completers which was attended by SERVE Senior Technical Consultant Mr. Julian Lapitan, and virtually via Zoom by the Director of DA Agricultural Training Institute Engr. Remelyn Recoter, and the Research Development Division Unit Head and Technical Lead of the Rice and Research Development Division of the DA Bureau of Agricultural Research Mr. Patrick Cabrera and Mr. Glenn Dimayuga, respectively.
For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.