KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE ON ENTREPRENEURIAL PRACTICES AND INNOVATION (KEEPI)

PIDDIG is not just a municipality in Ilocos Norte that is best known for their “best Basi” but also a recipient of innumerable awards and recognitions like “2022 Galing Pook Awardee” due to their “Basta Piddigueňo, AgriHenyo: Consolidated Farm Production System.”

On March 28-31, 2022, the Institutional Development Officers/Staff, Engineering and Operations Division Managers, Public Relations Officers, and Irrigators’ Associations (IAs) President/Representatives of NIA Central Office, Region 2, Region 5, Region 12, and Region 13 visited the enriched municipality of Piddig for a knowledge exchange on best practices and innovation pertaining to agricultural development.

The undertaking supported by former Mayor of Piddig who is now the Acting Administrator of NIA, Engr. Eddie G. Guillen empowered all offices of the agency to usher the IAs to transition into cooperative that would enable them to become beneficiaries of various government programs and have the chance to manage and increase their profit with the aid of technology.

The Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) headed by Harvey Adap showcase the beauty and best practices in Piddig that are worth emulating. The delegates were able to witness the accommodating municipal Local Government Unit personnel and visited the Rice Processing Center, flood control project like the Abucay Dam, Solar Powered Irrigation Systems (SPIS), Coffee Eco-Tourism Site, and Madongan Dam River Falls.

One of the remarkable activity of the lakbay-aral experience is visiting the Bonga Pump No. 1 IA Inc. under the leadership of President Oscar Aguilar. He shared their best practices and total assets. He also emphasized that transparency and teamwork can be considered fundamental ingredients of their success.

The knowledge sharing experience concluded with a strong belief that all the strategies learned will be used and applied by the IAs and Institutional Development Program (IDP) Implementers toward modern agriculture contributing huge impact to a progressive country.