Three final-year Bachelor of Agriculture students from the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) were given the opportunity to gain firsthand field extension experience through the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Solomon Islands.
The students were attached to ADRA’s Sustainable Economic and Agricultural Solutions (SEAS) Project and participated in their first field extension activity at Sali, North Guadalcanal, on Tuesday, 10 February.
During the visit, the SEAS Project team conducted a Cocoa Refresher Training for the Sali community.
The training also included 10 new cocoa farmers from Gilo in Northeast Guadalcanal, who were invited to learn alongside the Sali Cocoa farmers as part of a peer-to-peer learning approach.
The SINU students observed how ADRA implements its field extension program and gained practical insights that’ll contribute to their final academic reports before graduation.
Speaking to the ADRA Communications Team, Tome Luda, a final-year agriculture student, expressed his appreciation for the opportunity provided to him by ADRA Solomon Islands.
“We have spent most of our time learning theory, but today we were able to see and experience what field extension work really is”
“This attachment with the ADRA SEAS Project has given us a clear understanding of how extension work is carried out in the field,” Mr. Luda said.
Alice Ngunu, another final-year student, said the experience was an eye-opener for her acknowledged ADRA Solomon Islands for the opportunity provided.
“This was my first time to come out into the field and see how extension work is done”
“It has been a great opportunity for me to learn practical skills that’ll help me in my future career in agriculture,” she said.
She added that most of their studies had focused on theory, and the field experience helped bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world practice.
Clarissa Remobatu also acknowledged ADRA Solomon Islands and the SEAS Project Team for providing the opportunity.
“I came straight from high school into my Bachelor of Agriculture studies without any real field experience’’
“This training has helped me see the practical side of agriculture and will assist me in deciding my future path in this field,” she said.
“I would like to thank ADRA SEAS Project for allowing us to be part of this field visit. It is very important for our final-year report, which we’ll submit to our lecturer based on our field experience.”
During the training, the students were also able to listen to discussions on cocoa production and community implementation strategies. They conducted interviews with farmers as part of their report preparation. Please do rewording due to three of them got benefit through ADRA.
The Cocoa Refresher Training was conducted under the SEAS Project (Sustainable Agriculture and Economic Solution) which is funded by the Australian Government through DFAT, supported by ADRA Australia, and implemented by ADRA Solomon Islands. The inclusion of farmers from Gilo formed part of the project’s peer-to-peer partnership approach to strengthening cocoa farming practices across communities.
– ADRA Press
From right to left: Ms Clarissa Remobatu, Mr Tome Luda, and Ms Alice Ngunu, Bachelor Agriculture students from SINU, pose for a photo after the training concluded at Sali Community in North Guadalcanal on Tuesday. Photo: ADRA Media.
