Isabela State University (ISU) Echague Campus, through the Institute of Fisheries (IOF), is currently implementing an extension project titled “Enhancing Women Capability on Smoked Tilapia Production for Food Security and Resiliency in BIDANI Communities”.
This on-going project, which runs from January 2024 to December 2025, partners with the Local Government Unit of Echague (LGU Echague) and targets the Mengal Women members from local BIDANI (Barangay Integrated Development Approach for Nutrition Improvement) barangays.
With a P55,150.00 budget, the project aims to uplift the social and economic conditions of these communities by enhancing women’s skills in smoked tilapia product development, assisting in the establishment of community-based enterprise, and achieving sustainable livelihood.
The project’s implementation is divided into two components: first, training 45 women in the specific production of smoked tilapia with lemongrass, and second, a production phase where the trained women utilize a 40 kg start-up investment of tilapia per barangay to market locally and reinvest their income.
To date, the initial training objective has been successfully accomplished, with 45 beneficiaries from the Mengal Women’s Organization (MWO) actively participating. A signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the institutions ensures continuous technical and marketing support from ISU. While the enterprise establishment and sustainability goals are still ongoing, key lessons learned emphasize the importance of hands-on training over lectures and the critical need to combine technical skills with business and marketing education.
