To further capacitate the staff in the Project Support Office (PSO) North Luzon cluster and the Regional Project Coordination Offices (RPCOs) involved in the provision of technical assistance to various Proponent Groups (PGs), the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) conducted a digital marketing training and workshop from June 15 – 17, 2022, at Subic, Zambales.

The three-day activity was aimed to broaden the digital knowledge and skills of the staff from the I-REAP component, Information, Advocacy, Communication and Education (InfoACE) Unit, and the Geomapping and Governance Unit (GGU) in establishing and developing marketing or promotional content, and managing the roll-out of digital marketing plans for agri-fishery, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

According to I-REAP Component Head Jamesiah Badua-Lompero, the initiative was initially conceptualized because of the suggestions of World Bank Agriculture Policy, Planning & Business Specialist, Consultant Agnes Deshormes, after the cluster was cited to have been assisting I-REAP PGs to get engaged in digital marketing, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The PSO InfoAce and I-REAP have been planning how to go about providing assistance to the PGs, and we figured it had to start with equipping everyone who will be involved with the proper knowledge and skills,” Badua-Lompero said.

Badua-Lompero added that the DA-PRDP envisions PGs to utilize the wider reach of digital marketing through the use of social media.

“We would like to have the assistance providers appreciate the potential and importance of digital marketing in increasing the sales of MSMEs, in this case, our I-REAP enterprises. Digital marketing of MSMEs is usually done through social media platforms. Doing this through these platforms is not only free, it also allows the PGs to reach a broader market, which is hard to do if they just stay offline. This is what we envision for our PGs – to go digital,” she added.

On the first day of the activity, the resource speakers gave a presentation on the fundamentals of marketing, digital transformation, and a digital marketing overview. This was followed by a hands-on workshop on creating a sample branding, advertising, and marketing of any agriculture or commodity products that participants from every region want to promote.

With this kind of activity, Badua-Lompero hoped that the components and units involved, both from the PSO and RPCOs, will be more motivated in supporting rural farmers and cooperatives as part of the mandate under the DA-PRDP. (Ericson Guiao, PSO North Luzon InfoACE)