Not a fruit nor a vegetable not even considered as a plant. Mushrooms are a special type of fungus.

Surprised? Many of the 743 live viewers of our fifth webinar did not know this too until the livestream of Agricultural Technologies through Internet (ATI)@Home: Seminar on Homegrown Mushrooms “Kumikitang Kabute-han sa Tahanan” on May 15, 2020.
Similar to the face to face trainings that ATI in CALABARZON has been conducting, levelling of expectations was also conducted online. The activity revealed that participants wish to know the complete process of producing mushrooms and how can they add value-adding activities and turn it into livelihood as additional source of income for the family.

Mr. Francis Rod “Kiko” T. Domincel who served as the resource person was able to cover almost all the topics that the viewers were looking forward to. Sir “Kiko” as he is fondly called is the Operations Manager in the Mushroom Department of Joni and Susan Agroshop and Integrated Farms located at Barangay San Ignacio in San Pablo City, Laguna.

Viewers expressed overwhelming response on the said webinar, most of them grateful that ATI-CALABARZON is doing a series of webinars on different agricultural technologies that can be adapted within the confines of their home.

The team in-charge of the webinar has provided hand-outs and made the materials available to the viewers so they can have a jumpstart on their mushroom cultivation. The eagerness to learn and gain new skills is very evident among the viewers. Many have become instant farmers and agri-enthusiasts; this can be considered as one of the benefits of this lockdown.

Since its first episode, ATI@Home is being livestreamed through a social media platform and has reached Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Truly, ATI renders extension service beyond boundaries and will continue to serve amidst the pandemic.

Text and Photo: Abegail L. Del Rosario