Karbawan, a communication for development (ComDev) campaign initiative of the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), is gaining ground in terms of increased interest among stakeholders in joining the national Carabao Development Program (CDP).

This is particularly evident in select regions in Visayas and Mindanao that were not previously reached by PCC.

The Karbawan campaign is complemented by various communication interventions that were developed and launched to address specific concerns identified in the participatory communication appraisal of stakeholders.

The Farmer Livestock School on Dairy Buffalo Production (FLS-DBP) is one of the interventions that was launched in the project sites specifically in Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte with 40 participants; Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, 25 participants; and Don Carlos, Bukidnon, 28 participants.   

Meanwhile, in Leon, Iloilo, both FLS-DBP and School-On-the Air (SOA) are being carried out. There were about 500 farmers who enrolled in the SOA, 30 of which are also participating in the FLS-DBP.

What is FLS?

Dr. Eric Palacpac, chief of the PCC Knowledge Management Division that oversees the implementation of the Karbawan, said, the aim of FLS-DBP is to improve the knowledge and skills of farmers on dairy buffalo production where technology options alongside indigenous knowledge can converge through a participatory type of learning.

The PCC’s FLS-DBP modules were developed by a technical writing committee at PCC in partnership with Ms. Anna Marie Alo from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, who early on developed the FLS modality for Goat-Enterprise Management, which has now spread all over Luzon and elsewhere.

As a modality, FLS-DBP covers various topics such as Raising Healthy and Productive Dairy Buffalo, Building Enterprises from Buffalo, and Participatory Technology Development. It offers technology options that can be utilized according to the needs and capacity of the FLS-DBP attendee.

The FLS-DBP module covers 34 weeks of learning with 20-25 participants.  The learner-participants are expected to demonstrate skills and application of their learnings at the end of the course.

Participants in each batch are administered with pre-test evaluation and would answer a post-test  evaluation after six months to gauge their adoption of technology options. The said evaluations along with an impact assessment will be done after three years to measure the adoption pattern before and after FLS.

Farmers who wish to participate in the FLS-DBP must have at least three milking cows, an animal shed and must sign a commitment to finish the program.

From 2016 to 2017, 70 farmers were already trained in the FLS-DBP; 36 in Guimba, Talugtog and San Jose in Nueva Ecija; and 34 in Marcos and Batac in Ilocos Norte. Presently, there are ongoing FLS in Mabini, Bohol; Leon, Iloilo, Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte; Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay; Don Carlos, Bukidnon; Sto. Niño, South Cotabato; Lal-lo, Cagayan; and Tarlac City, Tarlac.

FLS-DPB Initiatives

Prior to the enrollment of farmers to FLS-DBP, KMD conducts a 15-day intensive learning workshop for PCC staff members, LGU partners, and progressive farmers who will serve as facilitators in the FLS-DBP in their respective localities.

As of April 2018, PCC has already trained a total of 81 facilitators from Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Norte, Tarlac, Bulacan, Bohol, Ilocos, Laguna, Cebu, Capiz, Iloilo, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon and Pangasinan.