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In an effort to streamline, facilitate, and promote the mechanism of the Regional Monitoring and Evaluation System (RMES) for the Organic Agriculture (OA) Program, a retooling activity with some 30 agricultural extension workers (AEWs) in Quezon province was conducted by the Regional Organic Agriculture Program (ROAP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IV-CALABARZON in Tayabas City on September 23–24, 2020.

According to ROAP Coordinator Ms. Eda F. Dimapilis, the RMES components, which if developed, will organize the intended objectives of the Program, along with all key stakeholders.
“We must systematically organize data collection to ensure that the relevant program and performance information on organic farming is collected, processed, and evaluated on a regular basis in order to make real-time, evidence-based decisions on how to we fully support our farmers and to achieve our ultimate goal of raising our number of certified farms by two-thirds by 2023,” she told the participants.

To make this possible, strategies have been discussed among the AEWS: institutional development and improvement of results-based monitoring and evaluation; research and development; extension and capacity building; promotion, advocacy, and education initiatives; production and post-production support services; market development; and regulatory services.

A workshop on the planning of these strategies was done: expanding OA areas; increasing numbers of farmers; increasing yields of top commodities; identifying certifiable farms; developing projects of top farmers’ associations and cooperatives in the city/municipality; identifying the needed support for the implementation of these plans; and recognizing issues, concerns, and problems.

ROAP has created an RMES, which is at its first stage and subject to improvement that will help AEWs manage data.

“We want to make it easier for you to generate field data so that you can submit it to us more effectively, reliably, and easily. We must always note that everything you send to us should always be accurate so that we can work together to analyze and improve our performances, and move on a more successful path,” Ms. Dimapilis reiterated.

The salient features of the Philippine National Standard were also reviewed to achieve ROAP’s target to increase the number of certified areas in CALABARZON, hence the farms and farmers, and their produce.

Among the AEWs who attended in the two-day activity were from the office of the provincial agriculturist, and cities and municipalities of Tayabas, Lucena, Macalelon, Gumaca, Guinayagan, Tiaong, Mulanay, Candelaria, Lucban, General Luna, Infanta, Atimonan, and Pagbilao.

ROAP will conduct the same activity in other provinces in the coming weeks. (ARC, DA-RAFIS)