Due to the risk of Covid-19 SNAP TRAININGS at IPB, UPLB have been postponed indefinitely.
Dr. Eureka Teresa M. Ocampo
Dr. Eureka Teresa M. Ocampo of the Institute of Plant Breeding, UPLB announces that SNAP Trainings at the Institute as been indefinitely postponed due to the risk of COVID-19. Doc Weng told the SNAP Hydroponics Growers community through a post earlier today, March 11th, 2020.
This is in response to the UPLB Office of the Chancellor Memorandum No. 044 on Measures against the COVID-19 threat.
SNAP Training suspension announcement in IPB, UPLB’s Facebook Page.
A Friendly Note
We implore everyone to acquire information regarding COVID-19 only from official sources. Please check and verify news that make it to your social news feed.
Before sharing anything about the outbreak we recommend watching this video series that contain useful information about how to navigate the digital world and avoid falling for scams, hacks and fake news.
Crash Course Navigating Digital Information on YouTube
Free online courses are available in the e-Learning for Agriculture and Fisheries website which is a major component of the Philippine’s Department of Agriculture’s e-Extension Program. All the online resources and e-learning courses in the e-Learning for Agriculture and Fisheries website are managed and administered by the Agricultural Training Institute. This post lists and provides a short description of free online online courses available in the website which can be very helpful in taking your urban farming business to the next level.
Good Agricultural Practices for Vegetable Production
Sample Certificate for Good Agricultural Practices for Vegetable Production
According to the course description from the website:
Yes you can produce safe and healthy vegetables.
Increase the market competitiveness of your vegetable produce by adopting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Through GAP, your produce can have a niche in the local and foreign market especially with the opening of the ASEAN economic integration.
The Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is a set of recommended standards and regulations that are easy to follow and apply. It will help you to prevent and reduce the risk of hazards during production, harvesting and postharvest handling of your produce. It encompasses food safety, environmental impact, workers’ health safety and welfare, and product quality?
After successfully finishing the course, you will be credited 40 hours of training and you will receive a Certificate of Completion. Ooops! That is only a bonus! If you apply all the lessons on your farm, you can request for a GAP Certification from the Department of Agriculture, absolutely free!
Although the course is designed for conventional farming the information outlined in the course can easily be adapted for hydroponics or urban farming. As highlighted in the quoted text above, if you apply all the lessons in the course on your farm you can request for a GAP certification from the Department of Agriculture absolutely free!
Production of High Value Crops in Greenhouse
Sample Certificate for Production of High Value Crops in Greenhouse
According to the course description from the website:
Would you like to produce vegetables and earn money the year round?
This online course will teach you how.
This online course will provide an easy- to- follow technology on growing high value crops in greenhouses. You can finish the course in two months. This course was developed by ATI-Region 3.
Since hydroponic vegetable production requires a protective structure, i.e. a greenhouse, this course particularly is useful for hydroponic growers. The course contains important information about vegetable production in a protective structure. It even includes a lesson about making organic pesticide made from sanseveria plants.
Basic Urban Gardening
Sample Certificate fro Basic Urban Gardening
According to the course description from the website:
Welcome and thank you for your interest to this Basic Course in Urban Gardening.
This on-line certificate course is designed for people whose love for gardening is inevitable as well as those who wanted to make their selves loosen up after the pressing work in the bustling metropolis.
With small available spaces and recyclable containers at hand, this course will facilitate their need to maximize existing resources into a productive endeavour where organically grown herbs and vegetables can be produced at their very own homes?
The course discusses the basics of gardening and includes interesting urban gardening ideas. Useful not only for hydroponic growers but also for anyone interested in taking up gardening as a hobby in the bustling metropolis.
Online Course on Training Management
Sample Certificate for Training Management
According to the course description from the website:
Training is an indispensable component of any human resource management. It has always been equated with improved performance that eventually leads to success or sustained growth. This partly depends on the quality of training provided. Developing therefore a training course that is relevant and responsive to the needs of these resources is always a great challenge for change agents, hence, this course.
Businesses require properly trained staff to operate at its full potential. This course is indispensable to any business owners who needs to train their staff about the day-to-day operations of their business.
Product Costing Made Easy
Sample certificate for Product Costing Made Easy
According to the course description from the website:
Costing is one of the perennial problems of SMEs joining trade fairs. This e-learning module aims to help you capture all yours cost and put them in an easy to use template using MS Excel with built-in formula. Additionally, understanding your cost will help you analyse how you can cut down your own costs to be more competitive and more profitable. However, it will be limited to domestic sales only. Production is mainly done manually and in batches.
Knowing your costs is the key to setting prices, lowering your costs and making improvements. The information contained in this course is indispensable to those who are just getting started in running their own business.
Links
Listed below are links to the free online training courses mentioned above:
DTI also published an e-book entitled “Your Guide to Starting a Small Enterprise” which is a very useful guide for anyone planning to start a small business.
At the corner of Pili Drive and IPB Road is the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). This vast complex houses training facilities, experimental farms, laboratories, the International Rice Genebank and the Riceworld Museum. Riceworld is IRRI’s public awareness facility. It showcases basic information about rice, some of the Institute’s research outputs and a collection of artworks and artifacts related to rice. The museum is open from Monday to Friday (except public holidays) from 8:00AM to 5:00PM. Entrance is free.
If you are visiting UPLB-IPB and still have time to spare, I highly recommend visiting Riceworld along the way. Riceworld have lots to tell you about the most important cereal crop in the world.
If you have any questions about Riceworld please leave a comment below. Happy growing!
Getting to UPLB-IPB to participate in the SNAP Hydroponics training or buying supplies can be tricky. In a previous post I discussed how to get to UPLB-IPB by taking the UPLB-IPB shuttle that leaves UPLB at 8:00AM daily. In case you missed the shuttle you have the option to take public transportation on your way to UPLB-IPB which will also involve a 1.2km walk along Pili Drive. The same route can be taken if you are driving to UPLB-IPB.
Take the UP College-Kaliwa jeep which will take you to UPLB gate. The jeep will turn left (kaliwa) which will take you to College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology (CEAT, se-yat) which is along Pili Drive. If you’re driving you may need to leave an ID for a pass.
Your stop is hard to miss because lots of engineering students will alight in CEAT and Pili Drive is the road just beside it. Right across Pili Drive, opposite CEAT is the College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS). When facing CAFS turning left along Pili will take you to IRRI.
College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS) along Pili Dr.
It’s 1.2km to IRRI. Fortunately, the road is flanked by pili trees (thus the name) to provide shade. UPLB students regularly walk along Pili Drive too so you’re in good company.
Pili Drive towards IRRI.
At the intersection of Pili Drive and IPB Road is IRRI Headquarters.
Welcome to IRRI Headquarters.
When facing IRRI HQ, turning right along IPB Road will take you UPLB-IPB which is 1.4km away. You can ride a tricycle to UPLB-IPB.
Then make your way to Plant Physiology Lab.
Just follow the same route to make your way back. That’s it!
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below. Happy growing!
The SNAP Hydroponics system utilizes used styroboxes (EPS foam boxes) to contain the nutrient solution and hold the seedling plugs in place. One of the steps in making grow boxes is to add the holes on the upper half of the styrobox where the seedling plugs would fit. One of the ways to accomplish this is with the use of a do-it-yourself (DIY) tool made of empty tin cans—styrofoam puncher a.k.a. pambutas ng styro.
Materials
Below are the materials required to make this tool:
Empty Tin Can
An empty tin can with a 3-inch diameter. These are pretty common since tin cans follows standard sizes. To verify if the holes made with a tin can will fit your styro cup, fit them to the can itself as demonstrated in the picture below.
I recommend using cans with ribbing along the side. The ribbing adds lateral stiffness of the can and allows it to hold its circular structure even when the lip of the cut has been cut off to sharpen the cutting edge.
Alaska tin cans fits 8 oz cups well.
Bamboo Sticks
A pair of bamboo sticks or other materials strong enough to serve as handles for the tool. For bamboo sticks I recommend making a pair of them by dividing a single half inch thick bamboo stick into a quarter inch pair by splitting the stick along the grain. It should be long enough to run along the diameter of the tin can and have around 3 inches protruding from the sides of the can. Make sure to smooth out the edges as well as the cut ends of the bamboo sticks to remove splinters and sharp edges.
A pair of bamboo sticks that will serve as handles for the pambutas.
Rubber Band
Rubber band or other materials that can lash the pair of sticks together. A sturdy length of string or fishing line works too.
Equipment
You’ll need a pair of tin snips to cut away the lip of the can and make a sharper cutting edge.
A pair of tin snips can be used to cut away the dull lip of a tin can to create a sharp cutting edge.
You’ll also need a piece of bamboo stick with a pointed end that you’ll use to add a hole on the can for the handles to go through. It should be around 3-5 inches long with the same cross section as the bamboo sticks you’ll be using as a handle.
A piece of bamboo stick with a pointed end.
You’ll also need a knife of a bolo to work with the bamboo and the tin can. You’ll also need a can opener to remove fully open one end of the can.
Procedure
Start by using a can opener to fully remove one end of the can.
Then using a knife or bolo add “T” shaped cut on one side of the can near the closed end. This “T” shaped cut will make sure that the hole will be centered and even when you enlarge it using your pointed bamboo implement.
A “T” shaped cut near the the closed end of the can.
Using our bamboo tool, enlarge the “T” shaped cut to make a larger hole. You can use any appropriate tool to hammer it through the can.
Enlarge the hole by hammering the bamboo tool through the cut.
The “T” shaped cut makes sure that the hole enlarges evenly and stays centered as shown in the picture below. Repeat this process on the opposite side of the can.
Bamboo tool centered well.
Push one of the bamboo sticks through the holes you made. Make sure it is centered so that the length of the handles are even. Put the other half on top and so that the lid of the can is sandwiched between the pieces of bamboo. Then lash them together tightly with a rubber band or string.
Lastly, if preferred, the cutting edge of the tool can be sharpened by cutting off the lip of the open end of the can. Although this step can be performed before any other steps, we recommend doing this last because the cut edge is indeed sharp. It is sharp enough to cut through skin. The other activities will have a risk of giving you a cut if they are performed with the lip of the can removed exposing a sharp edge.
Questions
Can I use a single piece of bamboo going through one of the hole, inside the cut, though the hole on the other side?
Using a single piece of bamboo saves time and effort. However, the rocking motion this tool will experience as you use it to make holes on your styrobox will ruin it pretty fast. The handles will exert pressure on the holes. The sides of the can is very thin and soft. The pressure exerted by the bamboo stick will be enough to enlarge it and pretty soon it will be too large for the tool be useful. Sandwiching the lid with two pieces of bamboo lashed together will transfer the force to the lid which will be able to handle the forces.
Can you show me how to cut the lip of the can with a tin snip?
I’ll upload of video soon.
That’s it. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.
