Workshop to revise the agroforestry technology information kit (ATIK)
The first workshop to develop the Agroforestry Technology
Information Kit - now more popularly known as ATIK - was conducted by the
International of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in its Silang Campus, Cavite,
Philippines, on November 4-13, 1989. There were 39 participants to this workshop
who came from 11 government and nongovernment organizations (GOs and NGOs).
ATIK was produced primarily for use by DENR technicians who have
been implementing the Social Forestry Program nationwide. DENR conducted a
nationwide survey among its staff who were involved in the implementation of its
Integrated Social Forestry Program and also primary users of ATIK. A
questionnaire was formulated, focused on the actual experiences of these
technicians in using the ATIK and on specific revisions they proposed to make on
the kit. A Planning Committee was created to study the technicians' proposed
modifications to the ATIK, as well as to plan for the workshop to revise it. The
committee was composed of For. Domingo Bacalla of DENR, For. Moises Butic of
DENR, Ms. Rowena Cabahug of UPLB College of Forestry, Dr. Romulo del Castillo of
UPLB College of Forestry, Ms. Remedios Evangelista of DENR, Dr. Julian Gonsalves
of IIRR, Mr. Scott Killough of IIRR and Mr. Jaime Ronquillo of IIRR.
The workshop to revise the ATIK took place also in IlRR's Campus
in Silang, Cavite, on November 16-21, 1992, with 45 participants representing 13
agencies. These agencies included: the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources; Farm and Resource Management Institute; Southern Mindanao
Agricultural Programmer Mag-uugmad Foundation, Inc.; University of the
Philippines at Los Banos; Upland Development Program/Sungay Upland Farmers'
Golden Harvest Association; Soil and Water Conservation Foundation; Quirino
Livelihood Concept and Development Resource Center, Inc.; Winrock International;
Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center; Visayas State College of Agriculture;
International Rice Research Institute; and, IIRR.
In the workshop, the same process for materials production was
followed. Old sheets and first drafts of new topics were presented by the
authors in plenary sessions. These materials then underwent continuous
improvements through the critiquing of the other workshop participants.
Communication experts (writers, editors, layout and design artists) were on hand
to assist the authors in revising/preparing the texts, illustrations and designs
of their papers. Before the materials were prepared in a camera-ready format,
they were submitted to their authors for final review and revision to ensure
that the additional corrections were incorporated.
The major revisions of ATIK are the following:
A. Format
1. From a set of loose-leaf single
sheets in folder/binder to six, pocket-size (4" x 7") booklets, individually
classified and bound according to major topics
2. Using simple, white, ordinary bookpaper, rather than the
thicker, colored and more expensive bristol board
3. Using a thick binder to hold the six booklets, instead of an
individual folder for each kit.
B. Content
1. Some old topics which were found not
relevant/useful from the survey were dropped from the kit.
2. Other topics were revised, focusing on the specific needs of
the DENR technicians.
3. Additional, new topics were included, again to respond to the
expressed needs of the technicians.
4. Many old topics - which were adapted by farmers -- remained
as they were.
The revised ATIK -- with its new format and content is expected
to further facilitate the work of DENR's 1,200 technicians in its Integrated
Social Forestry (ISF) Program nationwide. Ultimately, the kit will help enable
DENR's ISF's program to give the Filipino uplanders access to forest lands for a
tenure of 25 years or more.
Workshop to revise the agroforestry technology information kit
(ATIK)
November 16-21, 1992
IIRR, Silang,
Cavite
