Tracy Nicole Del Rosario, a student of Bulacan Agricultural State College (BASC), was hailed as the champion during the Regional Kabataang OA (Organic Agriculture) Quiz Bee this year among students in Central Luzon held in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija on October 20, 2023.
The quiz bee revolved around the following topics: Agriculture concepts and legal aspects (RA 10068), RA 11511, Participatory Guarantee System, Philippine National Standards relevant to OA, Fertilizers, concoctions and extracts, Organic Agriculture Technologies and current events related to OA. It was also divided into four parts - the elimination round, easy, average, and difficult round.
Students from Aurora State College of Technology (ASCOT), Bataan Peninsula State University (BPSU), BASC, Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), Pampanga State Agricultural University (PSAU), and Tarlac Agricultural University (TAU) participated in the said quiz bee.
After several rounds, Baby Ann Gracia Mae Eresmas of ASCOT nabbed the 1st runner up spot; Jemma Rose D. Lucena of ASCOT claimed the 2nd runner up spot; Dianne Ashley V. Dela Cruz of CLSU was proclaimed 3rd runner up; and Ariel Joseph O. Villareal of NEUST was hailed as 4th runner up.
During her message, Ms. Esmenia S. Lulu, City Agriculturist of Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, emphasized the importance of pursuing organic agriculture and encouraged the contestants to nurture their bodies and the environment through organic farming.
The panel of judges for the event included Dr. Victorio Fernando Nacpil, NOAB Representative, Mr. Juniper Dizon, an OA expert from DA-RFO III, and Ms. Zarah Jane Nazar, OA Program Focal Person.
The activity generally aimed to create awareness on organic agriculture as well as boost enrollment in agriculture and agriculture-related courses through the conduct of an agricultural quiz bee focused on OA production technologies and practices.
Del Rosario will be representing Central Luzon in the National Kabataang Quiz Bee 2023, to be held in Quezon City in October this year. (DML/EDL)
