The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of the society, especially the education system, which now has to design a flexible learning environment. This study aimed to assess the level of preparedness towards online learning among veterinary medicine students at… More

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of the society, especially the education system, which now has to design a flexible learning environment. This study aimed to assess the level of preparedness towards online learning among veterinary medicine students at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Central Mindanao University, and to determine their online learning attitude, styles, and preferences through mixed methods approach. The study utilized a survey and interviews in data collection. The results show that a majority (62.13%) of the students were well-prepared for online learning. A majority (60.43%) of them had a neutral attitude towards online learning. The students mostly preferred visual learning (30.64%), with 40.0% leaning towards non-interactive teacher or learner-centered online instruction. A significant relationship between online learning experience with preparedness and attitude toward online learning was found. Veterinary students in the study are capable of conducting an online learning method, and most have the necessary technology access, internet, and software skills, and social support. However, they still have doubts about this method of learning. A longitudinal survey is suggested to be conducted in future studies to determine improvements in the students’ attitudes since online learning experience is significantly associated with it. Less

Food security has long been a major development priority of all countries and will remain to be in the future. This has become all the more important in this time of COVID19 pandemic. It is achieved when there is the… More

Food security has long been a major development priority of all countries and will remain to be in the future. This has become all the more important in this time of COVID19 pandemic. It is achieved when there is the availability of and adequate access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times for individuals to maintain a healthy and active life. The United Nations has identified four pillars of food security: food availability, food access, food utilization and food stability. Through the years, all our efforts are expected to contribute to the pillars of food security, and a country’s ability to consolidate its resources towards defining and achieving their aspired food security targets across relevant scales has become a major hallmark of development success. Less

About 32% of the Philippine land area is devoted for agriculture. Given this, the agriculture sector is expected to increasingly generate significant emissions of non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases (GHG) and their precursors such as methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO),… More

About 32% of the Philippine land area is devoted for agriculture. Given this, the agriculture sector is expected to increasingly generate significant emissions of non-carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gases (GHG) and their precursors such as methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) from open burning of biomass residues from rice, corn and sugarcane farming. This study was undertaken to generate an updated yet specific inventory of contributions of provinces and regions to the total emissions of such radiative gases. Biomass residues from rice, corn and sugarcane were purposively sampled from the field and subjected to laboratory analyses to determine carbon fraction as well as carbonnitrogen ratio values. Secondary data on annual crop production were obtained from the PSA while default values of emission factors were secured from the IPCC. Inventory of such non-CO2 GHwG emissions covering all provinces of the Philippines were undertaken using the IPCC Tier 1 approach. Thematic maps were then generated through simple geographic information system. The study showed an average annual total emissions of 21 Gg, 550 Gg, 0.4 Gg and 15 Gg, respectively for CH4, CO, N2O and NOx from 1990 to 2015 with CO constituting 94% of the emissions. Western Visayas was the top “hotspot” region with about ? of the total emissions. Other “hotspot” regions include Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao and Cagayan Valley. Apart from providing technical and financial support to entice farmers to recycle crop residues, heightened monitoring and implementation of applicable environmental regulations must also be pursued to deter farmers from burning crop residues. Tax and non-tax incentives may be offered likewise to attract investors to put up processing plants utilizing crop residues primarily for power generation. Less