RCEF-RESP launches digital educational campaign for rice farmers

The Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Extension Services Program (RCEF-RESP) launched a digital campaign dubbed “Palaywakin ang Galing: yunPALAYun” in which farmers can improve their knowledge of rice production in a more fun and interactive way.

The campaign name (a wordplay of “palay” and “palawakin,” or expand) signifies the program’s purpose of spreading modern rice farming knowledge to enhance rice farmers’ skills.

The other keyword of the campaign name, yunPALAYun ( a combination of “palay” and the expression “yun pala ‘yun”), is designed to inform farmers of the technologies that can help increase significant yields and reductions in the cost of rice production.

“We know that our Filipino rice farmers are already good but we want to expand their knowledge. We also want to expand the coverage of the RCEF Extension Programme so that it will also benefit farmer’s spouse, children, and also their farmworkers. We are also expanding our training methods because we don’t want to be limited to training room or farm school settings, but through various media including online,” said Dr. Karen Eloisa T. Barroga, vice-chair of the RCEF- RESP Technical Working Group and deputy director for the development of theDepartment of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice).

The campaign is implemented for farmers to continue learning so they can plant smarter using science-based and field-tested practices.

As part of the campaign, a weekly webisode is shown over the RCEF Extension Program FB page and YouTube channel every Wednesday at 3 PM featuring successful farmers and PhilRice experts.

The webisodes will highlight topics on land preparation, seeding rate, and nutrient and pest management. Some will contain Palaywakin Ang Galing Trivia Challenge for more interactive learning.

Miss Earth Water 2020 Roxie Baeyens, Macki Moto, and Pinoy Palaboy, social media influencers who are passionate about farming, have also joined the campaign. Baeyens showcases her day in the life of a farmer in one webisode.

The campaign also features a segment called “Kwentong BayANI,” in which stories from fellow farmers are featured to inspire the community.

“Studies show that farmers learn more through their fellow farmers. We have to give our successful farmers a voice so that they can share the technologies and practices that worked for them.

Let’s keep on learning so we can plant smarter. Through this campaign, you will not just learn, but will also have fun,” said Barroga.

The program is implemented by DA-PhilRice, DA-Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization, DA-Agricultural Training Institute, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

SOURCE: Far Eastern Agriculture