CITY OF ILAGAN, Isabela (PIA) - The Agricultural Training Institute - Regional Training Center in Isabela recently concluded the Training of Trainers on corn production and management to elevate the skills and knowledge of agricultural extension workers and farmer leaders in Cagayan Valley. 

According to OIC-Director Claris Marayag-Alaska, the 10-day intensive program equipped 33 agricultural extension workers from the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya with the expertise to drive positive change and innovation in their respective communities.

Alaska said the training sessions employed a variety of interactive methods to accommodate the participants’ different learning styles and preferences. 

“They [participants] were encouraged to actively engage in the activities, which included setting up of software, performing practical tasks, and providing fertilizer recommendations to corn farmers in a nearby barangay where our office is located,” Alaska said.

Alaska added that they also introduced the Nutrient Expert (NE) for Corn to the participants, a software used as a decision support tool for Personal Computers and android platforms enabling local experts to quickly formulate fertilizer guidelines for hybrid, open-pollinated, and traditional varieties of maize in the country. 

“This software will help farmers increase their yield and profit by setting a target yield and by providing a fertilizer management strategy required to attain their yield goal,” the center director said, adding that the tool only requires information that can be easily provided by a farmer or local expert.

Meanwhile, Lailanie Eclipse, an AEW participant from the local government unit of Sto. Niño, Cagayan, lauded the initiative of the agri training institute, saying the training was very timely and essential to her role as agri extension expert and in providing better services to her farmer-constituents.

Cagayan Valley Region remains the top producer of corn in the whole country, a vital crop for human consumption, and the development of the livestock and manufacturing industries. (ALM/MGE/PIA-2)