A guidebook which seeks to encourage technology adopters to provide livelihood to conflict-stricken agriculture communities in Mindanao has been launched, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) has disclosed.
The DOST-PCAARD said the “Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension” (LIFE) Model Guidebook has been launched in South Cotabato “to inspire the decision makers of possible adoption by incorporating the LIFE model into their extension programs”
The Council said the extent of the impacts of the LIFE model is packaged into the guidebook.
The development of the LIFE model was made through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Mindanao Agricultural Extension Project (AMAEP). The AMAEP is implemented by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University in Melbourne; the Landcare Foundation of the Philippines Inc (LFPI), University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPM), University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), and the DOST-PCAARRD.
The DOST-PCAARRD said webinars and fora on LIFE, its gains and impacts were conducted in June and July in Mindanao where development agencies like the Mindanao Development Authority, provincial local government units (PLGUs), education institutions, and project teams involved in extension delivery were showcased.
"From 2013 to 2020, AMAEP developed and tested a new extension model for improving livelihoods in conflict vulnerable agricultural communities of Mindanao. In all pilot project sites, LIFE has produced rapid and significant change in the farmers’ livelihoods,” it said.
In 2017, the Council recognized the impact and gains of LIFE. With this, the DOST-PCAARRD funded a major collaborative project to expand and further validate LIFE under an institutional research partnership with UP Mindanao.
The three projects represent the first major funding collaboration between ACIAR and PCAARRD involving the significant outcomes of an ACIAR project, it said.
The LIFE Book consists of a reference book, video library, and a training manual.
“The package provides information on how to incorporate the LIFE Model into extension programs including potential cross sectors such as health and education,” the DOST-PCAARRD said.
It was the ACIAR’s Publications Unit in Canberra that funded the reference book , while the Council funded the LIFE training manual and online LIFE video library.