By Delmar Cariño/Sunstar Baguio

PASAY CITY — The information center in Alfonso Lista, Ifugao was recently recognized as one of the country’s models in the delivery of science and technology services for farmers.

Toasts were given to the town’s Farmers Information and Technology Services (Fits) on Thursday at SM Mall of Asia here for adopting an information dissemination system that helped farmers boost production and protect their water resources.

The Fits Alfonso Lista was one of three awardees the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and the Department of Science and Technology (Dost) hailed as champions for providing avenues for science to mitigate rural poverty.

Also feted at PCARRD-Dost’s First Tachno Gabay National Summit at the sprawling mall’s convention center were the Fits of Banga, Aklan, and Ubay Agri Park in Bohol

Joven Sevilleja, municipal agriculturist of Alfonso Lista, said the information center that was launched in 1999 had since then serviced more than 600 rice and corn farmers.

The service came in terms of providing the community with the needed information to promote best farming practices, such as the use of Bio-N, farm mechanization and community based monitoring system.

Sevilleja said the town, which has more than 18,000 hectares of corn and 1,260 hectares of rice, gained much from the services Fits provided. “I feel more inspired by this recognition,” he said.

Earlier, Ireneo Ortega, a farmer from Conner, Apayao, was also recognized as the Cordillera’s best Magsasakang Siyentista for adopting good farming practices in his farm that produced cacao, lanzones and other dryland crops.

The Fits and Magsasakang Siyentista formed part of PCARRD and Dost’s Techno Gabay program that is aimed at modernizing agriculture by enhancing access to knowledge and technology through extension workers, farmers and entrepreneurs.