ASU Banga Hosts Agricultural Extension Symposium

by Dr. Eden DLR Bautista

The Philippine Extension Network Inc., (PEN Inc.) hosted the 4th National Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources Extension Symposium held at ASU Review Center, Banga, Aklan on May 2 – 3, 2012. This year’s theme is “Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources Extension Service: Securing Active Responses to Uncertain Weather Events”. The symposium is a bi-annual activity participated by some 300 professional agricultural extensionists from LGUs, SUCs and NGAs all over the Philippines. 

The two-day symposium aimed to achieve the following: a) to discuss the global perspective of climate change and draw out appropriate extension agenda among national institutions to strengthen the platform for sharing information in the management of extreme events and natural disasters; b) to provide a venue to discuss adaptation, mitigation and anticipation measures to address at the policies, programs and projects levels; c) to realize the significant role of a regional networking arrangement aimed at sustainable management of rural advisory services in a diverse and changing rural and agricultural development context in the Asia-Pacific Islands; and d) to recognize meritorious performance of agricultural extension practitioners, evaluate extension projects and bring together extension studies that will result to the awarding of outstanding LGU extension project and research paper on extension. 

The symposium brought together experts from different disciplines, extension advocates and policy makers to exchange observations, results, models, and ideas at a national and global scales and discussed the opportunities to mitigate and protect the natural habitats of the environment. 

There were four sessions held. Session 1: Strengthening Inter-Institutional collaboration and Networking of Climate Change-Related Extension Programs; Session 2: Advocating Climate Change-Related Policies; Session 3: Enhancing Capacity of Extension Stakeholders on Climate Change-Related Extension Programs; and Session 4: Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change-Related Extension Programs.

ASU & ATI tendered a Fellowship Night on May 2, 2012 at ASU Review Center, Banga, Aklan where the local Chief Executives of Aklan graced the occasion. Accomplishment Report of Dir. Asterio P. Saliot, president, of PEN, Inc. was presented. The Formal Declaration for Opening of the Nomination of BOD Officers was given and election was held on May 3, 2012. /MP