Month: May 2020

Sixteen women carapreneurs (carabao raisers and entrepreneurs) from different cooperatives and associations participated in a training on “Baking and Pastries Making” conducted by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center at Cagayan State University (DA-PCC@CSU) last May 12.

The training was conducted to provide additional source of livelihood to participants through processing of products using carabao’s milk as one of the ingredients.

The trainees were divided into two groups to ensure that social distancing measures are observed in the training hall in compliance with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines amid coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Group A was led by Melchora Macarubbo, board of director of Integrated Farmer’s Cooperative (IFC) while Group B was headed by Precy Sibal, processor of IFC.

Klidel Fae Rellin, a licensed chemist whose hobby is baking, was tapped as the resource person for the said training.

Prior to hands-on training, Ms. Rellin provided lectures on the correct mixing and measuring technique for a particular ingredient to guarantee better baking results and demonstrated the baking process.

Ms. Rellin taught the particular recipes of four different products such as chocolate chips cookies, hot milk cake, milk cake, and vanilla sponge cake, all products were later on processed by each group. A taste test, led by DA-PCC@CSU Center Director Franklin Rellin, was conducted afterwards. Among the four recipes, hot milk cake emerged as the “Best Product of Choice”.

“This training will motivate women to engage in activities that will harness their full potentials and hone their entrepreneurship ability,” Director Rellin said.

The training was part of the Gender and Development activities of the center.

 

(With reports from Aileen L. Bulusan)

In pursuing its vision of modernizing and improving further its extension and advisory service (EAS) delivery to its clientele, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center (DA-PCC) through its Knowledge Management Division (KMD) has entered into a technical consultancy services contract with Grameen Foundation to work on the Phase 1 of a 30-month project titled “Consulting Services for Extension and Advisory Services Information System (EASIS)”.

In general, the project aims to enhance the dairy production management capacity of local dairy buffalo farmers in Nueva Ecija (the pilot site) through information and communications technology (ICT)-enabled EAS modality. The modality is envisioned to provide two main functionalities namely (1) a content delivery tool or CDT (learning videos) and (2) a quick response tool or QRT (mobile application for timely interaction or two-way communication between the field extension technicians or knowledge brokers and the DA-PCC national headquarters).

Phase 1 of the project, which started last March 9, involves identification of scope of work and learning modules development. Activities include focused group discussions, desk research, human-centered design exercises, learning needs, and resource assessment, which will inform the content of the five learning videos and design of the ICT-based EAS solutions. Phase 2 will involve solution development and implementation (i.e., creation of second set of learning videos, development and roll-out of CDT and QRT, and training of trainers) while Phase 3 will involve farmer profiling, complementary SMS extension service, and monitoring and evaluation.

“We are excited to engage with Grameen Foundation because for a long time we wanted to digitize PCC’s extension services using ICT tools, and such will be made possible through this project,” said Dr. Eric Palacpac, DA-PCC Knowledge Management Division chief, who spearheaded the project’s conceptualization.

Grameen Foundation provides technical assistance on smart-farming solutions geared toward the “evolution of digital technology for agriculture.” Ms. Christine Violago, Grameen Foundation’s Country Manager for the Philippines, serves as Project Leader for the EASIS Project.

Cotabateños can now avail of various products made from fresh buffalo’s milk amid COVID-19 after the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center at University of Southern Mindanao (DA-PCC@USM) launched its “Buffalo Milk on Wheels” on May 13, 2020.

DA-PCC’s Buffalo Milk on Wheels or BMW is an initiative of the institution in line with the DA’s Kadiwa on Wheels.

DA-PCC@USM Center Director Benjamin John C. Basilio gave emphasis on the objective of BMW, i.e., to let the people access milk products such as fresh carabao’s milk, chocomilk, yogurt and pastillas while under the general community quarantine (GCQ) to curtail the spread of the COVID-19.

DA-PCC@USM Dairy Processing and Marketing Head Ludivina J. Estimo acknowledged the support of the Local Government Unit of Kabacan led by Honorable Mayor Herlo P. Guzman, Jr. being the pilot municipality in launching the mobile market in Cotabato Province.

Director Basilio ensured that safety health precautions such as use of face mask and observing social distancing are strictly enforced to protect buyers at the BMW.

More than 500 undernourished children have started to benefit from a milk feeding program in Ilocos Norte, which will run for 120 days from April 27 to August 25.

Said program was made possible through Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Carabao Center at Mariano Marcos State University (DA-PCC@MMSU) as the supplier of chocolate-flavored milk to the provincial government.

This feeding program is initiated by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Resiliency Council (PDRRMC) and Provincial Nutrition Council (PNC), which resolve to feed undernourished children with Nutribun and pasteurized chocomilk during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

According to the PDRRMC and PNC, this project is part of the service package under “Nutrition in Emergencies” where attention to feeding malnourished children during the COVID-19 pandemic is deemed essential and relevant to improve their nutritional status and to boost their immune system.

Twenty-one municipalities and two cities with a total of 533 beneficiaries will benefit from this program. For 120 days, a weekly supply of 3,731 100ml packs of chocomilk will be dispatched to the beneficiaries.

DA-PCC@MMSU is thankful to the provincial government because this initiative provides for a sure market for the milk produce of dairy carabao raisers in Ilocos Norte. This will mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to their livelihood.