Philippines: More Learning Alliance activities rolled out in Butuan

by Reianne Quilloy, Trina Mendoza, and Rica Flor

The Postharvest Learning Alliance (LA) members in Butuan, Agusan del Norte met and conducted more activities in time for the town's harvesting season. Typhoon Ramon left the participants unfazed as about 40 people signed up for the Training on Reversible Airflow Flatbed Dryers and Hermetic Storage Systems in PhilRice RTR, Agusan del Norte last October 11 and 12. The project team from IRRI and PhilRice took turns to orient the Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs), farmer-leaders, and farmers' group cooperative members about the latest postharvest initiatives in the Philippines. Farmer participants lauded this effort wherein these new technologies can benefit big and small holder farmers in Agusan.

Engr. John Eric Abon of PhilRice conducts lecture on Reversible Airlow Flatbed Dryer

Shortly after the training, the LA technical working group (TWG) held its quarterly meeting at Amontay Beach Resort, Nasipit, Agusan del Norte last October 13, 2011. Partners who attend this meeting are those who have direct interest on hermetic storage. Rica Flor, the Project’s impact specialist facilitated the discussion between PhilRice, GrainPro, IRRI, DA-RFU, Caraga State University and Santo Niño Multipurpose Cooperative (SNMPC). Case study write-up, including trial protocols and data collection tools was introduced. One of the outputs of this meeting was a draft business case study for Super bags and cocoons which successfully demonstrated an increase in profit of a farmer-user.

The last activity was the Video Production Training for Learning Alliance Partners which was held on October 14. For this activity, project communication specialists Trina Mendoza and Reianne Quilloy took turns into facilitating the session with 40 information officers and staff from the CARAGA Region, Davao City, and DA- RFU 13. Reianne presented the importance of making videos and basic information, while Trina presented the basic principles of scriptwriting and Digital Green.

In the afternoon, the participants conducted a hands-on exercise in Digital Green. The participants were able to successfully follow the process of creating storyboards and produced short edited videos that showcased their creativity, innovativeness, and sense of humor.

Ms. Rebecca Atega of DA-RFU 13 and one of the learning alliance partners in Agusan, took the initiative to organize the three activities. The efforts are part of the outputs of the ADB-IRRI Posthavest project to address the postharvest challenges in Asia, including the Philippines. More learning alliance activities are expected to pour into the CARAGA region, as the project’s efforts in reducing postharvest losses through technology innovations, best management practices, and intensive information dissemination are slowly coming to fruition.

Philippines: IRRI postharvest staff participate in farmcasters meeting in Agusan Province

Curbing postharvest losses through information is in the front line of the IRRI-ADB project, Addressing the Pre-and Postharvest Challenges in the Rice Supply Chain.
Information officers, farmcasters, regional agricultural engineers, and staff members of some local government units were introduced to advocacy efforts of the project made through various activities, technologies, and adaptive research in project sites in the Philippines and Asia.

Members of the project team from IRRI and PhilRice served as resource speakers during the 3rd Quarter Meeting of Regional and Provincial Information Officers and Farmcasters at Patin-ay, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, on 19-20 July 2011.
Caesar Tado, IRRI-ADB project country coordinator, and Trina Mendoza and Reianne Quilloy, communication specialists at IRRI, took turns elaborating on the objectives and activities of the project.

Danilo Unson, on behalf of the provincial agriculturist, said that reducing postharvest losses could be an important driver of the Philippines’ goal to achieve rice self-sufficiency in 2013.

Enhancing learning alliances through participatory message design and materials development

Another learning alliance activity held on 13-14 July brought partners together to brainstorm about effective ways to communicate hermetic storage in a Message Design and Materials Development Workshop. About 20 participants from NGOs, local government, International Rice Research Institute, and the Philippine Rice Research Institute were present for this activity.

 The workshop aimed to develop unified key messages on hermetic storage, one of the main postharvest technologies of the learning alliance. More importantly, from feedback during the 3rd learning alliance meeting, the need to unify postharvest messages amidst the emerging rice-based projects like the Philippine Rice Self-sufficiency Plan (PRSSP) was highly recognized; hence, the workshop was conceptualized.

 Trina Mendoza, a senior communication specialist, facilitated the activity. Participatory approaches were used in consultation with anthropologist Rica Flor to elicit the crucial elements in materials designing—communication objectives, key messages, and target audiences. In order to do that, information leveling was done by briefing the participants on the key hermetic storage principles and the importance of linking the workshop output to the PRSSP.

A flyer enumerating the benefits of a Superbag was one of the outputs of the activity. This material was translated to Bisaya 

 Outputs of the event were two draft flyers (in English and Visayan language) and a flipchart. Everyone had an opportunity to critique and revise the materials according to the gathered comments.  A week after, a pretesting activity with farmers in Calauan, Laguna, was done to fine-tune the materials.

 This workshop shows how partners in a learning alliance can do more through synergy and learning from feedback. Now that partners have addressed this need for a template, many of them plan to echo what happened to others in the alliance. The materials produced would be a template which partners with the mandate for extension can surely use. In addition to the series of hermetic storage training done this year, here is another activity wherein the project partners can take as a jump-off point for another learning cycle in the process of effectively bringing out hermetic storage technologies.

View the workshop report here 

Market and Communication Strategy for Cambodia rolled out

by Alfred Schmidley

A multi-stakeholder workshop dubbed as "Market Communication Strategy in Cambodia" was conduted on September 7-8, 2009.  This workshop aimed to define further needs, topics, and next steps for the Project, including how to: 1) operationalize the Learning Alliance, 2) assess communication needs and strategies, and 3) scale out previously piloted PH technologies and interventions by developing integrated business models.

The Workshop was opened by the Deputy Secretary General of MAFF, His Excellency Sen Sovann.  The Monday dinner was also attended by His Excellency Lord Reasmey, Secretary General of MAFF.  Dr. Meas Pyseth, International Programs Coordinator at MAFF and the IRRI PH Project consultant, along with Team consultants Vichet Sorn and Son Sovann, did an outstanding job with local preparations to make the Workshop a success.

In addition, ADB Postharvest project staff Rica Flor and Trina Mendoza made field visits following the work.shop to gather additional information on needs and perspectives from farmer cooperators in Prey Veng