ICT Roadshow promotes Aurora e-Village project

AURORA PROVINCE -- Intending to increase the awareness and knowledge about the Aurora e-Village project, an ICT roadshow was held for the four central towns of the Aurora province namely Dipaculao, Maria Aurora, San Luis and Baler. These four towns are also the pilot areas for the first phase of the project.
 

The Aurora e-Village project aims to integrate ICT as part of a rural community’s life to improve access to information, enhance productivity, increase family income and thereby improve the quality of life in the community. It also aims to provide a collective strategy in the adoption, dissemination, and commercialization of technology-based and market-driven production system for agricultural productivity and competitiveness. The project is being implemented by the Department of Agriculture through Agricultural Training Institute (ATI ) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) together with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and the Provincial Government of Aurora.
 
Focusing on explaining the project and its benefits, a briefing on the Aurora e-Village Project was one of the highlights of the roadshow. Likewise, the ATI and PhilRice presented their respective electronic extension services which will be part of the project. ATI’s e-learning, Farmers’ Contact Center and livelihood trainings are among the services that will be accessed through the Aurora e-Village project. The residents of Aurora had a glimpse of the e-services through the Mobile Internet Bus of PhilRice.
 
As part of its extension efforts for the project, the ATI gave out bags of IEC materials to the barangay captains, Municipal Agriculturists and to the FITS Centers in the selected municipalities.
 
The Local Government Units (LGUs) of the four towns were in full support led by their respective mayors. In their welcome remarks, the mayors acknowledged the benefits of the project to their respective municipalities and encouraged their constituents to support the project. Anabelle Tangson, Mayor of San Luis, Aurora, expressed her appreciation to the project and to the implementers specifically Philrice for their techno demo farm and ATI for the first training conducted on off-season pineapple production.
 
The ceremonial turnover of the ICT equipment to the project beneficiaries will be on February 12, 2010 and will be led by Senator Edgardo J. Angara and the heads of the implementing agency.
 
The ICT roadshow was held last February 4 and 5, 2010.(Benedict C. Natividad)