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Archives
April 1-30, 2007
OpAPA Advisory Council sets target for program operation
by Marlowe U. Aquino, PhD
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| PhilRice Executive Director Leocadio Sebastian (center, left) and ICRISAT Director General William Dar (center, right) lead the discussion during the 15th OpAPA Council Meeting. |
The Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OpAPA) Advisory Council has set targets to operationalize and institutionalize the program activities of the academy. The council acted on the targets during its 15th meeting held at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija on 11 April 2007.
This was based on the near program completion of the project that supports the implementation of the OpAPA which focuss on rice and rice-related activities.
The advisory council felt that it should expand its services to cater to other commodities supportive of the Department of Agriculture (DA) programs. With this new development, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) will take the lead wherein OpAPA’s main strategy is anchored on extension modalities.
 Given this strategy, it is believed that ATI will make use of the experiences and lessons learned by PhilRice, particularly on rice, to improve and develop appropriate and responsive strategies for the other commodities.
The meeting discussed updates on the implementation of OPAPA, including directions to formulate plans and programs for the e-Learning Program of the Department of Agriculture. OPAPA implementing units from PhilRice, pilot State Colleges and Universities (SUCs) such as the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC), University of Southern Philippines (USP), and Isabela State University (ISU) presented their accomplishments for the first quarter of 2007. Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), and Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) presented their programs supportive to the e-Learning Program.
BAR presented its e-Learning Program highlighting the e-Pinoy FARMS Project complementing the Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR), National Technology Commercialization Program (NTCP), and other partnership initiatives supportive to the Research, Development, Extension/Education (RDE/E) sector of DA programs.
Through ATI’s leadership, it is envisioned that the fast and emerging trends in extension delivery system and the integration of the information communication technology (ICT) to the mainstream of e-learning approach of production management systems will be addressed.
With an end view of making ICT work for the different priority commodities of DA, the OpAPA Advisory Council is optimistic that this will elicit positive support from other DA units. Technical experts on the priority commodities will be tapped to provide the necessary technical information that would enhance the e-learning modules to be developed for the farmers and fisherfolk, as well as other resources that would drumbeat the full blast operation of the enhanced OpAPA program for agriculture and fisheries development.
In order for the identified plans and activities to be implemented accordingly, OpAPA’s advisory council made sure that all activities must meet the guidelines, directions, and standards. As such, the council provided inputs on program planning and implementation approaches and strategies and source out resources to be shared to enhance the program.
Moreover, the council emphasized that in order that the e-learning modules of the new commodities are accepted for wider utilization, these must be responsive and user friendly. This will enable users to be proactive on information and technology being offered by the program.
Lastly, the council emphasized that OpAPA is not a sole function of one or two agencies but rather a responsibility of the whole DA as it moves toward a challenging agriculture and fishery sector using information communication technology system. 
April 1-30 2007 Articles:
:: BAR is DA’s focal agency on biofuels
:: BAR, PCARRD, CHED, UPLB, MMSU convene for a synergy meeting on sweet sorghum initiatives
:: Commercialize technologies from R&D to hoist agri production–SACY
:: CPAR project consultation in 10 poorest provinces completed
:: BAR searches for 2007 outstanding agricultural scientist
:: DA National GMA Programs conduct its 1st quarter review
:: BAR sets consultation meetings for regional technology commercialization forum for 2007
:: First of five batches of technology management training conducted
:: OpAPA Advisory Council sets target for program operation
:: Keeping it sweet: What’s new with sweet sorghum?
:: New ABARE board members inducted
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