A field practicum is designed especially for the preparation of these rice technologists and experts that involves the supervised practical application of rice production theories. Some of their activities include gathering and identification of insect pest specimen, studying rice crop diseases as well as the morphology of a rice plant.
Claveria, Misamis Oriental--- In his directive to the Department of Agriculture (DA), Secretary Emmanuel F. Pińol ordered that hybrid rice seeds must be planted in 1 million hectares of irrigated lands starting last year 2017 in its attempt to achieve rice self-sufficiency by the year 2019. In support to this, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) has made efforts to meet this goal as the extension arm of the Department.
Recently, a three-day Training of Trainers on Hybrid Rice Production was conducted at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) in its Claveria campus. The participants consisted of Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) and farmer leaders assigned in rice areas from the municipalities and cities in Region X. The activity aims to equipped participants with the latest learnings and practical knowledge on the latest technologies in hybrid rice production.
The participants were able to gather specimens for pest and diseases identification and studied the morphology of a rice plant. Two days were allocated for lectures and workshop while a field practicum transpired on the third day at Mat-i, Claveria, Misamis Oriental on June 20-22. (with reports from Jhoylie Mae C. Rosales, Development Management Officer-II)