BAYBAY CITY, Leyte - The Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service (RCMAS) has proven to be an essential tool complementing the programs of the Department of Agriculture (DA). It has been instrumental in initiatives such as distributing fertilizer vouchers under the Rice Resiliency Program (RRP) and registering farms and farm lots in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), offering critical data on farm lot sizes. Despite its potential, adoption of RCMAS remains relatively low due to various challenges such as lack of resources, connectivity, mode of dissemination to name a few.
To address these issues, the DA, in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has enhanced the RCMAS to broaden its reach and improve adoption. These enhancements also enable better monitoring of the implementation of DA's programs.
Aligned with this initiative, the Agricultural Training Institute - Regional Training Center VIII (ATI-RTC 8), in partnership with DA Regional Field Office VIII (DA-RFO 8), conducted a Regional Rollout of the Outcome-based Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Tool for the 2024 wet season. Now in its second year, this activity aims to empower partners as enumerators to facilitate the MEL application rollout, ensuring accurate and reliable data for DA program reporting and decision-making.
The first day of the activity focused on orienting Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) from various municipalities in Leyte on the 4DFarm project. These AEWs, who had previously graduated from RCM Training of Trainers (TOT) programs, were trained on using monitoring modules and conducting effective interviews.
For this cropping season, 200 farmers from three barangays in Javier, Abuyog, and Dulag were interviewed. The interviews collected critical data on farm profiles, practices, and details about seeds and fertilizers used or acquired.
The success of the activity, held on October 21-25, 2024, was driven by the participation of 20 RCM graduates from various local government units (LGUs) in Leyte, along with RCM and research staff from DA-RFO 8. The data gathered will play a vital role in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the DA’s Rice Program interventions, ensuring targeted and impactful support for farmers.
This effort underscores the commitment of ATI-RTC 8 and DA-RFO 8 to equip stakeholders with tools and knowledge that enhance agricultural programs and outcomes in the region.
