Tanauan, Leyte (December 16) -- The Sangguniang Bayan of Tanauan, Leyte recently passed a resolution adopting the Techno Gabay Program in the Municipality of Tanauan.

In the same resolution, the Tanauan legislators authorized Mayor Roque Tiu to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Visayas Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Program (VICARP) for the implementation of the said program.

Presented for consideration of the Municipal Council is the proposal for the establishment of a FITS Center or Techno Pinoy Center in the Municipality of Tanauan for the purpose of providing information and technology services in agriculture and natural resources to farmer clientele.

The Center will strengthen the link among technology generators, technology servers and technology adaptors and will provide information delivery and technology service to the producers, processors as well as to steward and manage the resources.

Techno Gabay Program aims to bring science-based information and technology services to end-users in the agriculture, forestry and natural resources (AFNR) sectors.

Techno Gabay Program is characterized by networking of research and development (R&D) institutions in the AFNR sectors, the Regional R&D Consortia and other members of the National Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Network (NARRDN), the private sector, the local government units (LGUs), nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and other extension service providers, thereby, enhancing technology utilization, adoption, and commercialization.

The Technology Gabay Program adopts a mechanism in which consortium-member agencies actively involved in R&D and technology management are tapped as Partner Member Agency of Farmers' Information and Technology Services (FITS) or Techno Pinoy Centers.

This mechanism will accelerate institutionalization of Techno Gabay at regional, provincial, and field levels through its integration in extension programs of the Partner Member Agency. It will ensure sustained supply of research-based information and technical assistance support to FITS Centers.

Technology Gabay Program is a dynamic interplay of interrelated modalities to provide a continuous flow of appropriate science and technology (S&T) information between clientele and other stakeholders. Its four component modalities are the FITS Center; Magsasaka Siyentista (MS) and the S&T-based Farms; the Information, Education, and Communications (IEC) Strategies; and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The FITS Center serves as convergence point of all services provided through these modalities. (PIA 8)