ATI’s digital program for farmers gets award
THE efforts of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and Smart Communications Inc. to empower farmers through mobile and internet literacy was recognized recently at the 18th Philippine Quill Awards.
During the virtual ceremony of Arise: The 18th Philippine Quill Awards, the Digital Farmers Program (DFP) of ATI and Smart Communications received an Excellence Award in the Corporate Social Responsibility category under communication management.
The International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Philippines, the lead organizer of Quill Awards, said the awardees were selected for delivering under the most extraordinary circumstances even amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
“You have truly risen to this unprecedented challenge of our times, and you have performed a great service to your organization and to the Philippine society. Mabuhay kayong lahat (Long live),” IABC said.
While pushing for a digitallyinclusive agriculture sector, ATI’s network of training centers and Smart Communications ensured that the safety of participants and trainers were prioritized. Face-to-face training was also conducted under the DFP.
Since its launch in 2019, the program has covered 46 batches for its introductory course — DFP 101 — capacitating over a thousand farmers and youth on utilizing basic digital tools such as smartphone, the internet and social media.
This year’s winners come from a cross-section of public and private sector organizations, both large and small. With over 800 entries reviewed by evaluators, each was evaluated using IABC’s highest global standard that measures and determines the finest, sharpest and brightest in the business communication industry among professionals as well as students.
Organized by the Philippine chapter of the IABC, the Philippine Quill is considered the country’s most prestigious awards program in the field of business communication. The 18th Philippine Quill Awards was held virtually on March 25, 2021.