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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

PRISM holds review training on on-site crop health assessment and information gathering


The Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM) project conducted a review training on crop health issues for 31 participants from eight Philippine Department of Agriculture Regional Field Offices on September 16-19 at IRRI Headquarters in Los BaƱos, Laguna.

The review training provided the participants with the knowledge and skills for conducting effective assessments of crop health problems caused by diseases, pests, and weeds using mobile devices in the field. They also talked to farmers to practice their interviewing skills necessary for gathering the information needed by PRISM such as fertilizer and pesticide usage.

PRISM, one of the projects under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) in the Philippines is supported by the DA, is a project of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), sarmap and IRRI. It aims to establish and institutionalize a nationwide information system that will provide timely and accurate data on when rice is cultivated and harvested in each province. Such information can be used in research and development as well as policy and decision-making related to rice production and food security. It also serves as a platform to develop consistent and regular assessments of rice crop production, crop health, and crop losses due to flood, drought, wind damage, pest outbreaks, and severe disease epidemics.

Dr. Adam Sparks, co-project leader of the PRISM project (IRRI), together with Mr. Gertrudo Arida (PhilRice) facilitated the event.

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