.::. BAR Chronicle .::. A monthly publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

Vol. 4 No. 13
Nov. 1-30, 2003
BAR joins Open Academy soft launch
by Likha Cuevas

The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) joined the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA) soft launch at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Social Hall, Maligaya, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on 6 November 2003. BAR (through its Agriculture and Fisheries Research and Development Information System or AFRDIS), the Advanced Science and Technology Institute - Philippine Research, Government, Education Information Network (ASTI-PREGINET), Department of Agriculture - National Information Network (DA-NIN) Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), and the PhilRice Networks, provided access points that allowed more agencies to link up. BAR was linked through computer video conferencing using PREGINET broadband network and DA-NINs VSAT backbone. The event was also broadcasted in the Internet via streaming video technology and was viewed through the RealPlayer software. This soft launch was part of PhilRice’s 18th Anniversary celebration.

The soft launching featured the introduction of OPAPA, which focused on the various services of the academy, partner agencies, databases, courses, and links to websites of partner agencies. The videoconference was done to test the link with International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India and other conference points at DA, BAR, DOST, and ASTI in Metro Manila; PhilRice Nueva Ecija and Tuguegarao in Northern Luzon; Caraga, Cotabato, and Davao in Mindanao.

A techno-forum on hybrid rice production was held and this was participated in by rice doctors, extension workers, and outstanding hybrid rice growers from Nueva Ecija and Pampanga. A simultaneous forum was also held with participants from Tuguegarao and Cotabato. Through the Open Academy, selected extension workers and farmers from the major hybrid rice growing provinces may consult about their field problems through email, text messages, or through the web-based bulletin board. The rice doctors may then reply by email or text, or post messages in the Open Academy website, http://www.openacademy.ph.

OPAPA was made possible through the contribution of participating institutions like the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), PhilRice, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), and BAR. These institutions provide the general content while the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Regional Integrated Agricultural Research Centers (RIARCs), and the Farmers’ Technology Information and Technology Services (FITS) or Techno Pinoy centers provide information and learning hubs. Other content providers are the Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE) and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC). Academic institutions like the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC), and the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) are involved in providing degree programs for those who want to pursue higher education online.

The Open Academy, conceived as a program to improve research-extension-farmer linkage through the use of ICT and distance learning, was formalized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by DA Secretary Luis P. Lorenzo, Jr., Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro, and International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) Director-General William D. Dar on July 28, 2003.

OPAP aims to educate, train, and mobilize the stakeholders in agriculture using ICT and distance learning to bring about agricultural modernization. It also aims to provide e-extension services, advisory and general knowledge on agriculture through on-line training; to communicate relevant information and knowledge through ICT and distance learning; and to link policymakers, researchers, service providers, markets, business organizations, and farm communities in an open environment.