Damulog, BUKIDNON - The Farmer Scientist Training Program (FSTP), a three-phase Research, Development, and Extension (RDE) program implemented by the Agricultural Training Institute-Regional Training Center X (ATI-RTC X) finally commenced its Phase I on May 19 to October 18, 2024, with its main purpose of giving the corn farmers a direct contact to agricultural experts to develop technical and scientific capabilities to grow corn, vegetables and other crops utilizing appropriate farming technologies. The program was attended and participated by thirty-two (32) corn farmers residents from Damulog, Bukidnon.
FTSP is an integrative and holistic three-phrase agricultural research, development, and extension (RDE) methodology involving primarily the development of appropriate values of farmers engaged in crops such as corn, rice, vegetables, and animals in a corn-based production system to adopt scientific and sustainable methods of farming as it aims to improve farmers’ income and quality of life beyond the poverty level.
One of the activities of the program is 35 Days After Planning (35DAP), wherein the participants conducted an AgroEcosystem Analysis (AESA) no. 4 and a Progress Report no. 2 (Stand Count Germination). In addition, the FSTP facilitator and an agricultural technologist of Municipal Agriculture Office-Damulog, Bukidnon, Partick Lloyd T. Ang shared a topic that talks about corn deficiency and diseases that highlight the various conditions that make the corn deficit. This knowledge can be a valuable tool to identify management options to correct these deficiencies to improve the practices of the corn farmers during the process of corn, vegetables, and other crop production
The training program was spearheaded by the dynamic management of the ATI-RTC X namely: Maria Lydia A. Echavez, overall supervisor of the training program; Noemi Beth G. Macario, assistant supervisor on the implementation of the activity; Noriel Kris O. Santillan, project officer and facilitator of the program; and Jisa T. Dulay, the Development Management Officer I.
Throughout the training program, the corn farmers were able to learn the Values Formation as a farmer-scientist, Background of Farmer Scientist Training Program and Operational Strategies, Corn Production Management, Farm Recording Keeping, Leadership Management, and Community Organizing, and FSTP Experimental Trials that will lead to their successful production of corn, vegetables, and other crops through the utilization of agricultural innovations. (Written by the Development Communication student interns Charlene Tisang, Jolina Barbarona, and Precy Fajilago)
