Pinili opens 181^st FITS center

Farmers, extension workers, researchers, and local officials launched the first Pinili Farmers’ Information and Technology Services (FITS) center at the Municipal Agriculture Office in Pinili, Ilocos Norte, on April 18.

This local government unit-based FITS center is the 4^th in Ilocos Norte, 12^th in Region 1, and 181^st in the Philippines.

Also to benefit from this center are the farmers and entrepreneurs of adjacent municipalities in Ilocos Norte, as explained by Mr. Leonardo T. Pascua, Regional Technology Promotion and Commercialization (RTPC) coordinator of the Ilocos Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILARRDEC), during the launching ceremony.

In his keynote speech, Dr. William D. Dar, director general of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics said that the 20 FITS centers established per year in the country are a good indication of the centers’ relevance.

Dr. Dar posed the following challenges: for Pinili farmers to showcase their garlic; to enhance the clients’ use of the center; to translate publications and materials on technologies into the local dialect; and to ensure that “all that can be read can be seen in the farmers’ fields” through modalities like the demonstration farm.

He enjoined everyone to work together for the welfare of the small farmers in this global information age.

Pinili Mayor Anunciacion Pagdilao expressed her thanks for the partnership and the information and technology resources provided by PCARRD for the center. She stressed that she was giving her 101% support for the program.

Meanwhile, Pinili Vice-mayor Pedro B. Galang said that the use of information and services available in the FITS center should be maximized and that people in the locality should be made aware of these services.

At PCARRD’s end, acting Deputy Executive Director Richard M. Juanillo said that the Council has been working on the expansion of information and technology delivery services of the FITS centers through the programs Knowledge Networking Towards Enterprising Agricultural Communities (K-AgriNet) and “Enhancing FITS for rural development.”