TABUK CITY, Kalinga –The Department of Science and Technology Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC) in partnership with local government units conducted series of training-workshops to their stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of technology for a resilient countryside and attain an innovation-driven economy.
DOST Provincial Director Jasmin Donaal said amid the pandemic, DOST is bringing science and technology down the grassroots level through the Science for the People Caravan.
At the center stage of these technology-transfer activities for March are mostly women, particularly the potters of Dalupa in Pasil, Talalang of Balbalan, and Kalipi members of Malagnat in Pinukpuk, in observance of the Women’s Month.
On March 8, Kalipi members of Malagnat were trained on banana processing, fermentation and bottling. They were joined by other participants in March 26 in the skills training on vinegar processing featuring DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute’s vinegar acetator.
Dalupa and Talalang potters were also convened on March 8 for them to organize and be assisted in their homegrown trade. It was followed by other activities such as product quality assessment and field visits to partner farms and firms.
Training on sugarcane wine processing was also conducted on March 12 for members of Ambato Rural Water Association in Tinglayan.
A three-day training-workshop for disaster responders was also conducted where the participants were introduced to Geographic Information System as a vital tool in mapping and risk assessment.
During training-workshops, the hybrid modality was used, tapping resource speakers from DOST and other partner-agencies for small, medium enterprisers on face-to-face attendance.
During the caravan, DOST-CAR turned over equipment for analysis (oven and circulating water bath) to Kalinga State University-Central Science Laboratory as part of the plan to establish an analytical laboratory in the province.
Through the Science for the People Caravan, many of DOST-PSTC’s partnership projects are on the spotlight such as the OneSTore hub with Kinwa Etnika, the second hub in the Cordillera.
Entrepreneurs from Kalinga are not only at the receiving end of government assistance but successful ones also make it to the regional and national limelight, like Sally Pepito of Mt. Zion Bakery, who is best provincial SETUP adoptor and represented the region on March 23 in the DOST Luzon Cluster Gender and Development Forum as speaker. – Peter A. Balocnit
