DILIMAN, Quezon City—The e-Learning Program for Agriculture and Fisheries reached a new milestone amid the COVID-19 pandemic as it recorded over 112,000 enrollees in 2020.
With the implementation of the community lockdowns during the onset of the pandemic last year, the ATI intensified its campaign to engage agriculture stakeholders and enthusiasts to sign up and enroll in the free e-Learning courses. The goal is to help individuals access various information resources on agri-fishery technologies without sacrificing their health and safety.
The Institute utilized its social media platforms and short message service to boost the promotion of e-Learning, particularly to support the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) nationwide campaign on urban agriculture and community farming under the “Plant, Plant, Plant” Program.
Furthermore, the ATI’s network of training centers was actively introduced e-Learning to their clientele through social media. Some Regional Training Centers also took to radio to promote the program, and even forged partnerships with state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the inclusion of e-Learning in the school curriculum.
As the major component of the DA’s e-Extension Program, e-Learning offers free online courses on crops, livestock, social technology, sustainable agriculture, and marine and fisheries. To date, there are 64 free online courses available in the portal.
The program started in 2007 in collaboration with other government agencies, SUCs, and non-government organizations. It caters to the learning interests of agricultural extension workers, farmers, fishers, youth, overseas Filipino workers, professionals, and retirees.
In early 2020, around 87,200 users registered in the e-Learning site. By April 2020, the number of e-Learners reached to 92,700 and more than 112,000 by the end of 2020. In comparison, there were a total of 15,289 enrollees recorded in 2019.
Among the enrollees are residents in the National Capital Region. One of them is Alberto Ang from Caloocan City who shared his appreciation for the program.
“The e-Learning courses being offered are really wonderful. The courses are short but concise, depending on the topic. Also, if you want, you can apply the planting techniques right away, especially now that almost everyone is staying home,” he said.
The e-Learning Program for Agriculture and Fisheries can be access through www.e-extension.gov.ph/elearning.