Use of workshop

Many environmental issues involve complex and technical information and processes which are difficult to understand. Majority of the people do not yet understand the very basic issues related to, for example, ozone depletion or global warming or the loss of biodiversity.

The difficult process of simplifying such kinds of information for specific audiences is not systematically implemented on a large scale in the Philippines.

The International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) believes that there is currently a great need for quality educational printed materials which can be used by teachers, trainors, educators, policymakers, key sector leaders and others throughout the Philippines in the area of environmental education. These printed materials will convey the difficult-to-understand concepts into more appropriate information kits for wider dissemination.

IIRR is aware that there are government and nongovernment organizations (GOs/NGOs) that are currently producing environmental education materials. Therefore, the primary step the Institute took was to network with these GOs and NGOs to establish the state-of-the-art for environmental education materials within the Philippines.

The information kit on the Basic Concepts in the Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources Management was produced through the use of a workshop involving technical and communication experts. The workshop approach has been successfully implemented by IIRR to speed up and improve the production of various technology-focused kits, such as the Bio-Intensive Gardening, Regenerative Agriculture Technologies, Agroforestry, Low-lnput Rice Production and Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture Technologies.

The workshop was held on September 14-19, 1992, at the IIRR Campus in Silang, Cavite, Philippines. The participants came from key organizations involved in environmental work, such as Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC), Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS), Department of Education, Culture and Sports-EDPITAF (DECS-EDPITAF), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB), Department of Health (DOH), Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB), Forum for Rural Concerns (FRC), Green Forum, Haribon Foundation, Institute for Environmental Sciences and Management (IESAM), International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), Marine Science Institute (MSI), Philippine Environmental Action Network (PEAN), Philippine Ecological Network (PEN), Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), Philippine Wetland and Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PWWCFI) and University of the Philippines at Los Ba(UPLB). Because these participants consisted primarily of the practitioner-types, reflective of the intended user-audience, the potential relevance of the kit was improved. In addition, the papers underwent instant critical peer review and revision, a process which normally takes several days or even weeks. Finally, the presence of communication specialists (writers, editors, artists) facilitated the appropriate presentation and design of materials.

This technology information kit focuses on Philippine situation, is designed for learning about basic concepts, issues and problems related to environment and natural resource use and degradation and is intended for nationwide use by students, trainors and GO/NGO policymakers.