CALAPAN CITY, ORIENTAL MINDORO – The Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (IDSC-INREM) led the Training of Enumerators in Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology (MinSCAT) campus in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro on May 2-4, 2018. The activity was held with reference to the project “Action Ready Climate Knowledge to Improve Disaster Risk Management for Smallholder Farmers in the Philippines” that primarily aims to improve the value of information flows between PAGASA and key decision makers involved in managing climate and weather risk of smallholder farmers. The training marks as a necessary action towards the attainment of the overall goal by capacitating MinSCAT in conducting social research particularly on properly and effectively executing a survey as a preparation for the actual primary data gathering.

The first day of training was attended by MinSCAT faculty members including Dr. Christian Agutaya, Vice President for Research, Extension, and Development; Engr. Wilma Delos Santos, MinSCAT Project Leader who will serve as field supervisor; and other five instructors and MinSCAT alumni  who will be the enumerators. The UPLB team discussed some guidelines on the proper way of conducting the survey as well as the content of the survey instrument to ensure the reliability of the information to be gathered. Right after the discussion, a role-playing workshop was held to train the MinSCAT staff and alumni on the actual process of conducting the survey where the team UPLB members acted as farmer-respondents.

On the second day of the training, the UPLB team together with the training participants conducted the pre-testing of questionnaire in Brgy. Managpi Calapan City. Eight rice farmers were interviewed by the MinSCAT training participants with guidance from the UPLB team members. After the pre-testing, the whole team gathered in MinSCAT campus in Calapan to address some observations and comments on the activity. Based on the comments raised, the questionnaire was refined and translated to Tagalog for better clarity and efficiency in conducting the actual survey.

On the last day, other administrative concerns were raised and discussed prior to the actual data gathering. These primarily involved additional costs that interviewers might incur, deadline and schedule of submission of questionnaires, and the next trip on Calapan by the UPLB team for checking of data.

The actual survey will start on May 8, 2018 until May 25, 2018.

The UPLB team is led by Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, chair of INREM, and Dr. Canesio D. Predo, co-project leader. (Pamela C. Nilo)