by Creselda Tubianosa
Benjamin Franklin said “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest”.
Knowledge has been considered as the mitochondrion of the research team which is one of the most important investments of the company. Atlas Fertilizer Corporation, from its humble beginnings on technology development in terms of crop nutrition, has made leaps. What sets the company different from the rest in the country is having a group tasked to study and come up with fertilization technology based on science—the Product Development Group (PDG).
Branded as a crop-specific and soil-specific fertilizer company, AFC is into continuous efforts to produce more fertilization technologies with the aim to cover all crops of significant value taking into consideration the different soil types in the country. After coming up with sound recommendations on crops especially rice and corn, the company’s research group is constantly seeking ways to add more strength to the existing ones.
But wait, our strength doesn’t just end there. Our task extends beyond science, it can also be considered as an art. Why art? It is because it takes more than not just an intelligent mind to translate developed technologies into practice. For technology transfer to become effective, one must not only study the basic principles of fertilization, soil environment and agronomic characteristics of crops but must also embrace the art of teaching. We envision a team that will educate more farmers on how to manage their resources efficiently to maximize farm productivity. The time has come for innovation to take place not just in fertilization technologies but also in the working group.
With proven nutrient recommendations, this group will slowly embark on finding ways to teach farmers developed technologies. Together with this desire we also give credit to the useful sharing and learning experiences we had and will have with our farmers. For teaching to be effective, there should always be a two-way communication process to give room for feedback. This feedback will strengthen more the learning process and will contribute to the development of better teaching strategies. With this, it’s not only investment on knowledge that makes AFC different from the rest.
For a company to survive stiff competition, it must be innovative, should always have a vision of years beyond. Before winning, one need to work harder, give more than anyone else and the willingness to go longer.
