LOS ANGELES, Butuan City – In its effort to continually provide capacity enhancement for the extension partners, the Agricultural Training Institute – Regional Training Center XIII successfully conducted another two batches of Refresher Course on Rice Pests and Diseases Management.

The third batch of the training held on April 4 – 8, 2022 was attended by 24 Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) from Agusan del Sur, while 26 AEWS from Surigao del Sur completed the 4th batch of the training on April 18-22, 2022, with the OIC-Assistant Director Violeta T. Laguna as Project Officer.

It was conducted to bring the participants up-to-date on the latest technologies, and updates on the management of rice pests and diseases. The technical experts from the Department of Agriculture – Caraga region and the DA-Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) employed varied methodologies such as lectures, participatory discussion, workshops, and demonstrations.

One of the participants from LGU-Bayabas, Rosemyr M. Bulatin affirmed that such methodologies especially their exposure to early morning field activities in collecting and identifying insect pests and disease specimens, even made the learning process more interesting and effective.

The course covered the topics of transformational leadership, One DA Agenda, Overview of the rice industry, updates on rice pests and diseases infestation in the region, as well as its management. The participants were also taught on facilitating the rice pests and diseases monitoring and surveillance report in their respective areas of coverage.

It can be recalled that more than 40 AEWs from Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur were trained during the first two batches of the training last March.

Three more batches of the refresher course will be conducted until June of this year by the ATI through the Career Development and Management Services Section – Rice Program, all with CPD units (with the report of Matt Janfour B. Cabahug).