IRRI and Learn.Ink launch interactive digital course on site-specific nutrient management

31 August 2021, Los Banos – IRRI’s Rice Crop Manager (RCM) team launched a free interactive, digital micro-course that enables agriculture extension workers to learn about site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), the science behind RCM.

Available via Learn.Ink beginning 31 August, the mobile training course features a user-friendly interface that utilizes simplified English and course-building algorithms for the enhanced presentation of topics and contents.

SSNM is a set of scientific principles that guides farmers in the proper management of fertilizers for rice production. This is an approach for supplying the rice crop with the proper amount of added nutrients at specific timings that are based on the target yield, calculated nutrient requirements, other available sources of nutrients such as crop residues and irrigation water, and critical growth stage of the crop.

SSNM is also the foundation of the Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service (RCMAS), which is widely disseminated in the Philippines as a digital platform providing recommendations to rice farmers. RCMAS’s key component involves training intermediaries on the basics of RCM and SSNM to aid in face-to-face interviews of farmer-users and help generate meaningful recommendations.

This mobile training course supplements the actual training of RCM users and provides an alternative approach to deliver the SSNM content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Users only need to access the link and register in order to start the microcourse. A number of short quizzes are also in place before and after every lesson to gauge learning effectiveness.

Learn more about RCM at https://www.irri.org/crop-manager and access the Learn.ink RCM micro-course today to start learning about SSNM.