PCARRD-AGHAM tap responsible journalism for agri productivity

The education and science and technology sectors, regarded as two potent forces of development, have teamed up towards a common concern — the need to ensure adequate food supply through better agricultural technologies.

Lodged on a common platform, the Saka Iskwela, the Department of Science and Technology through the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the Alyansa ng mga Grupong Haligi ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Mamamayan (AGHAM) Party List, ensure that productive agricultural technologies invade the pages of the school newsletters.

Towards this end, PCARRD and AGHAM will jointly conduct trainings on news and feature writing, web writing, and layout and desktop publishing.

Owing to the expertise of one of the project implementers, Congressman Angelo B. Palmones of AGHAM, a former radio broadcaster, the training also includes radio broadcast.

The trainings will initially be conducted at the Mindanao State University in General Santos City; University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Kabacan, North Cotabato; and Bicol University (BU) in Legazpi City, Albay through the coordination of the Cotabato Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium, and the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Research and Development.

The Saka Iskwela was inspired by the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. The Act provides for the development and promotion of campus journalism as a means of strengthening ethical values, encouraging critical and creative thinking and developing moral character and personal discipline of the Filipino youth.

PCARRD and AGHAM believe that the campus newsletter can be used to create opportunities especially in the countryside through the dissemination of productive agricultural technologies.

Congressman Palmones said “A portion of any campus newspaper will surely create an impact in bringing agricultural science and technology to their potential beneficiaries particularly in the countryside”. Ricardo R. Argana, S&T Media Service