The Farmers’ Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center, also known as Techno Pinoy Center, is a one-stop service facility accessible to the majority of farmers, entrepreneurs, and other clientele groups in the locality. The Center provides fast access to information and technologies in the forms appropriate to the clients’ needs.

The FITS Center serves as convergence point of all the services being provided to clients together with the other modalities of the Techno Gabay Program, namely: The Magsasaka Siyentista (MS) and the Science and Technology (S&T)-based Farms; the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategies; and the Information Communication Technology (ICT).

The Center is a pet project of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DoST-PCARRD) through the Technology Outreach and Promotion Division (TOPD). As a component modality of the Techno Gabay Program, the FITS Center is implemented in collaboration with the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the 14 regional Research and Development (R&D) consortia, 131 state universities and colleges (SUCs) and other R&D institutions, and more than 400 MSs.

According to Dr. Bessie M. Burgos, TOPD director, there are 506 FITS Centers nationwide at present. Around 87 percent of these Centers (440 Centers) are hosted by the LGUs. In the province of Bohol alone, where the agriculture sector has posted the highest growth rate according to the latest Social Weather Station survey, 42 out of the 47 municipal LGUs are hosts of FITS Centers.

Services offered by FITS Centers
The FITS Centers from Batanes to Basilan offer two basic services to their clients, namely: 1) information services, and 2) technology services.

Information services. The FITS Centers provide technology information in various multimedia formats; exhibit new technologies and products; offer internet service and short message service (SMS); and provide FITS databases.

Technology services. Techno Pinoy Centers conduct technology training and technology clinic; link clients to experts and financial institutions; provide technical assistance and consultancy; support enterprise development; facilitate linking clients with sources of planting materials, animal stocks, and agricultural inputs.

With enhanced information and technology services, Techno Pinoy or FITS Centers have been opened to the World Wide Web as a mine of information while their nationwide interconnection facilitates the sharing of data and information.

Among the services offered are the information system that organizes pertinent production and related information into an accessible database and a short messaging service on agriculture, forestry and natural resources (AFNR) information. To ensure continuous supply of S&T-based information for FITS Center clients, 68 FITS-directed R&D projects have been approved for implementation while the ICT and IEC capabilities have been enhanced.

PCARRD reported that annually, at least 1,000 clients are served by each center or a total of 500,000 clients nationwide.

FITS Center establishment
PCARRD has specified the minimum requirements in setting up a FITS Center. These are: a) physical set-up, b) furniture and fixtures, c) equipment, d) data/information, e) staff, f) funding capability, and g) Magsasaka Siyentista.

Physical: Accessibility of the location to clients, floor area of at least 50 square meters with at least two divisions/rooms, and with FITS billboard.

Furniture and fixtures: Tables and chairs, display cabinets/shelves, infrastructure/communication support such as electric power source and telephone lines.

Equipment: Computer (Pentium IV or better) and peripherals, photocopier, television set and stand, DVD/VCD player, and sound system.

Data/Information: AFNR-related books, other publications and communication materials.

Staff: Provision of Site Manager, Information Services Specialist, and Technology Specialist, on a part-time basis from the host agency, to take care of the center.

Funding capability: Ability of host agency to provide funds for the establishment and maintenance of the FITS Center.

Magsasaka Siyentista: Availability of an expert on the Center’s focus or priority commodities and products to be officially connected with the FITS Center.

For more information, e-mail pcarrd@pcarrd.dost.gov.ph.