The DA-PCC through its regional center hosted by the Visayas State University (VSU) conducted a Facilitators’ Learning Workshop on Farmers Livestock School on Dairy Buffalo Production (FLS-DBP) from April 25 to May 6, 2022 at the VSU, Baybay City, Leyte. It was the first time that such activity was conducted outside the DA-PCC national headquarters.
Thirty-one participants from different municipalities of Eastern Visayas consisting of partners from the Coconut-Carabao Development Project (CCDP) farmer-beneficiaries, Local Government Unit (LGU) technicians from Northern Samar, Leyte, Samar, Southern Leyte, and Biliran, and some DA-PCC at VSU staff members attended the learning workshop.
The FLS-DBP is an innovative approach that is anchored on participatory and adult learning methods and principles. The 15-day intensive activity aimed to equip participants with the necessary skills and competence in implementing the FLS-DBP in their respective localities, making them effective facilitators of learning for other farmers after the season-long learning experience.
Aside from the lecture sessions, the training course included experiential learning processes through exercises, games, fieldworks and case analysis.
Courses discussed throughout the training were focused on mobilizing communities for FLS-DBP, raising healthy and productive dairy buffalo, building enterprises from buffalo, participatory technology development, and participatory tools to measure the FLS-DBP effects and its impact. The DA-PCC’s Knowledge Management Division (KMD) headed by Dr. Eric Palacpac, together with module developers from the national headquarters facilitated the said learning activity.
Resource persons included Director Francisco G. Gabunada Jr. of DA-PCC at VSU and module developers from the national headquarters (Dr. Palacpac, Ms. Rovelyn T. Jacang, Dr. Phoebe Lyndia Llantada, Dr. Cyril P. Baltazar, Dr. Ester B. Flores, Dr. Peregrino G. Duran, Dr. Renelyn M. Labindao, Ms. Mina P. Abella, Ms Patrizia Camille Saturno, Ms. Teresita Baltazar, former DA-PCC R&D Division Chief Dr. Annabelle S. Sarabia, and former KMD staff Mr. Erwin M. Valiente).During the culminating ceremony, Dr. Caro B. Salces, DA-PCC’s Deputy Executive Director for Administration and Finance, gave his inspirational message by sharing success stories of previous FLS-DBP graduates who ventured into the dairy buffalo business particularly in supplying the milk for the milk feeding program.
The participants expressed their gratitude, as they gained knowledge about dairy buffalo production, business aspects, and technology transfer. It gave them an opportunity to disseminate their knowledge to farmer-beneficiaries of the CCDP Project. Further, they presented their re-entry plans for the implementation of a full-scale FLS-DBP in their respective localities.
