IRRI conducts workshops on rice sustainability and eco-engineering in Mindanao

Separating insects into Orders, Families, and Genus during the Basic Insect
and Spider Taxonomy Workshop at Valencia Bukidnon.

IRRI entomologists facilitated three workshops with partners in Bukidnon, Mindanao between 28 April and 2 May 2014.

On April 28, 25 participants from the Agriculture Department of Central Mindanao University (CMU) completed a workshop on Sustainability of Rice Production Systems. The workshop was conducted at the AACCUP room at the College of Agriculture in CMU (Musuan). Under the guidance of instructors from IRRI (Finbarr Horgan & James Villegas) and DA-RFU X (Gregorio Orboc), the students examined aspects of sustainable rice crop management and evaluated rice production systems using a series of simple sustainability indicators.

Furthermore, microscopes and books were donated by IRRI to the University to support future research in integrated pest management for the region.

On April 29, partners from the Department of Agriculture (of the Philippines)-Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR)-funded project ”Developing Ecological Engineering Approaches to Restore and Conserve Ecosystem Services for Pest Management and Sustainable Rice Production in the Philippines” completed an evaluation and planning workshop to review research activities to date and define research and outreach activities for the remainder of 2014.

The workshop was conducted at Jocel’s Gardens (Valencia). Participants were from IRRI (Entomology – Finbarr Horgan, James Villegas, Angelee Fame Ramal, Josie Lynn Catindig and Ellen Genil; Experimental Station – Rod Tomambo), DA-RFU IV-A (Alexandra Jamoralin, John Michael Pasang), DA-RFU VI (Corazon Arroyo, Virginia Agreda), DA-RFU X (Gregorio Orboc, Tito Manigos), farmer participants from Colonia, Bukidnon (James Lopez, Josephine Alubog), and evaluators from the DA-BAR (Quezon City)(Raymond Patrick Cabrera, Jay Invinsor Bermas).

Finally, between April 30 and May 2, partners in the project, together with two professors and five students of entomology from CMU attended a workshop on Basic Insect and Spider Identification. The workshop, held at Jocel’s Gardens (Valencia) was conducted by IRRI entomologist Josie Lynn Catindig with visits to rice eco-engineering field sites at Colonia (Valencia, Bukidnon) and to the biological control facilities at Bangcud (Malaybalay, Bukidnon).

Fourteen participants completed training which allows them to separate insect and spider samples collected from rice fields into families and, in some cases, genera. The workshop also gave basic tools to participants to support further progress in taxonomic studies.

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(1) Evaluation and Planning Workshop with Partners from DA-BAR and DA-RFUs was held at Jocel’s Garden in Valencia, Bukidnon. Top Left to Right: James Villegas (IRRI), Finbarr Horgan (IRRI), Rod Tomambo(IRRI), Jay Bermas (DA-BAR), John Michael Pasang (DA-RFU IV-A), James Lopez (Partner Farmer Bukidnon) and  Gregorio Orboc (DA-RFU X); Bottom Left to Right: Josie Lyn Catindig (IRRI), Ellen Genil (IRRI), Fame Ramal (IRRI), Virginia Agreda (DA-RFU VI), Corazon Arroyo (DA-RFU VI),Alexandra Jamoralin (DA-RFU IV-A) and Patrick Cabrera (DA-BAR).

(2) Basic Insect and Spider Taxonomy Workshop Participants at Valencia, Bukidnon. From left to right: James Lopez (local farmer), Aljun Perez (CMU), Roger Menisterio (CMU), Romel Gallardo (CMU), Alexandra Jamoralin (DA-RFU IV-A), Josephine Alubog (local farmer), Virginia Agreda (DA-RFU VI), Josie Lyn Catindig (IRRI), David Marapao (CMU), Ever Orboc (CMU), James Villegas (IRRI), John Michael Pasang (DA-RFU IV-A) and Tito Manigos (DA-RFU X).

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