Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture

Nationwide K-Agrinet ICT Roadshow

Contributed by Administrator
Monday, 12 April 2004
Last Updated Wednesday, 09 January 2008

Close to 3,000 extension workers, farmers, including their governors, mayors, committee on agriculture, and board
members of farmers' cooperatives participated in what may perhaps be the biggest ICT event in the countryside –
the K-AGRINET ICT Roadshow. In two months, five big buses, fully equipped with notebook computers with wireless
Internet access – roamed the countrysides – starting in Bacnotan La Union on March 26, and completing
the roadshow on May 26, 2006 in Cagayan de Oro.

Close to 3,000 extension workers, farmers, including their governors, mayors, committee on agriculture, and board
members of farmers' cooperatives participated in what may perhaps be the biggest ICT event in the countryside –
the K-AGRINET ICT Roadshow. In two months, five big buses, fully equipped with notebook computers with wireless
Internet access – roamed the countrysides – starting in Bacnotan La Union on March 26, and completing
the roadshow on May 26, 2006 in Cagayan de Oro.

KONEK NA!

With a singular message, KONEK NA! (Connect Now), the campaign organizers urged the local executives to go online
– especially their agricultural extensionists. As part of the agricultural modernization, much of the agricultural
information will now be made online – in the Internet. And they drove this message with a big gun – the
mobile ICT bus of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Organizers

The K-AGRINET stands for Knowledge Networking for Enterprising Agricultural Communities. It is a project funded
through the e-Government fund under the administration of the Commission on Information and Communications
Technology (CICT). It has four components: (1) e-Learning and Knowledge Bank through Open Academy for Philippine
Agriculture (OPAPA), managed by PhilRice; the e-Consortia and e-Farm managed by PCARRD; and the e-Agrikultura,
managed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). The Development Academy of the Philippines is the Project
Management Office (PMO) of the K-AGRINET.

Positive Response

The Roadshow was a huge success in reaching a critical sector which can push ICT in the countryside – the local
CEOs. Seven governors and 11 mayors went up the Mobile Internet Bus and experienced firsthand the ease of
searching information in agriculture through the Internet. They provided an estimated P450,000 for farmers' food, venue,
the motorcade, and accommodation for the crew. For northern and central luzon, 1,100 participanted; 358 in Bicol leg;
649 in Caraga; and 711 in the Davao leg. The total cost of the caravan is P1.5 million. On the average, we spent P500
per person, must lower than the usual 2-day live in trainings – costing at P2,500 per head. ICT trainings in Internet
Cafes offers another alternative – at P1,000 per person for 2 days.

Commitments from LGUs

Vigan City Mayor Ferdinand Medina immediately ordered the purchase of 2 pcs with internet connection, even with the
City Agriculturist requesting it. Laoag City Mayor Michael Farinas ordered his City Agriculturist to buy one pc and
notebook with Weroam wireless Internet. Munoz Science City Mayor Nestor Alvarez recently provided a home for his
agriculturists – making the entire upper floor of the newly built justice hall building to be their office with the
launching of its Cyber City project; Magsaysay Mayor Arthur Davin in Davao del Sur provided funds for his Cyber Town
project. This will connect farmers cooperatives and schools to the municipal office by wireless technology. Almost all the
mayors will provide ICT trainings for their agriculturists; Surigao Governor Robert Barbers will establish a farmers
computer center equipped with 10pcs and with Internet connection.

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 Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture

Great Expectations

Local CEOs, their administrative officers and agricultural chiefs cited some of the more urgent problems in their area. In
Ilocos regions, local officials of Vigan and Batac requested the use and deployment of databases on farmers' produce,
and GIS map of all mango trees to monitor their health and production. Pangasinan officials wanted a monitoring system
so they will know what farmers are planting in order to prevent overproduction of a crop. The system will also provide
farmers a recommended production guide and fertilizer recommendation where they live. For Davao areas, Mayor Mejos
requested the team to include coastal and marine resources information since these are the poorest sector in Davao
Oriental. In Magsaysay, Davao del Sur, officials of farmers cooperatives wanted a pest monitoring and early warning
system, pest identification system; online trading and marketing of rice products. In Mati, Governor Elena Palma Gil
wanted the project to provide market and export opportunities for their coconut products. Bicol and Caraga oofficials are
looking to the Internet for the prevention of rice black bug, and upland farming technology.

Keeping them Connected

With the K-Agrinet providing PCs and Internet connection to some 80 FITS centers that are based in LGUs, we can
expect improved access to information for the extension workers. However, it may take a while before we actually see
farmers buy or even use computers. A positive note on this, however, is that majority now own TV, DVD, and celphones.
Digital content and services can now be provided to farmers. For the extension workers, it was an experience of a
lifetime. Mostly in their mid career and never before held a mouse or PC, the experience in the bus conquered their fear
of computers, and opened up a new world to them – the world of information and global knowlegde – all at
the push of a button and click of a mouse. (with reports from Queenie Pineda, Lorna Alvarez, Nila Tolentino, Julie F.
Lopez, Mel Olvida, Meg Carangcarang)

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