Advancing Innovations and Science-based Farm Production Systems: The Role of State Universities and Colleges in Modernizing, Industrializing, and Professionalizing Philippine Agriculture Food Systems

As part of the UNFSS preparatory activities in the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture (DA)-Philippines organized a series of activities in partnership with the international and national offices for June-July 2021. One of which is the webinar on advancing innovations and science-based farm production systems in partnership with the country’s state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Technologies and innovations play a key role to achieve and realize DA’s goal to modernize, industrialize, and professionalize the agriculture and fisheries sector. One of the enablers in creating such technologies is the academe, particularly the SUCs. With the mandate, technical expertise, and facilities to conduct research, development, and extension programs, the SUCs are major partners of the DA in its pursuit through its strategies under the Food Security Framework.

Under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act, the DA along with the other government agencies are mandated to support and prioritize the research and technology initiatives, tools, and facilities of SCUs for the latter to develop innovations. The SUCs in the country have been partners by the government (e.g. DA, DOST, CHED) and the private sector in developing and providing available tools and technologies in various segments of the value chain such as crop varieties, animal breeds, farm inputs, production and post production package of technologies, decision support tools for precision agriculture, machineries development, and value added food products.

Provided these available opportunities for SUCs adapting innovations in food systems, it is important to provide a venue for the SUCs to increase their awareness and strengthen their collaboration through possible partnerships with the private sector; hence this webinar.

The DA’s Agriculture Dialogue and Information Network Groups (ADING) Program Office and the DA- Bureau of Agricultural Research will spearhead this activity by inviting the Presidents of PASUC and ACAP as resource speakers during the activity.