ICT is the Bureau's response to AFMA's mandate to develop the R&D national information network. It aims to strengthen the knowledge management in agriculture and fisheries R&D through information technology. Likewise, Agriculture and Fisheries R&D information System (AFRDIS) aims to promote efficient and effective inter-institutional collaboration through coordinated planning and execution; information flow among stakeholders; and end-user involvement by facilitating access to information and knowledge.

The ICT Program is meant to support the information needed for the fulfillment of BAR's goal of making R&D in agriculture useful to farmers and fisherfolk. The advent of IT is made possible by the convergence of state-of the-art computer and telecommunication technologies that promote efficiency and effectiveness in the dissemination of R&D output among researchers and the general public via the information highway.

a. e-Pinoy FARMS ©

The establishment of a unified community-based participatory monitoring and evaluation system for agriculture and fisheries development is necessary to encourage the active involvement of key players and stakeholders in the overall implementation of the community-based initiatives coordinated and managed by BAR.

More specifically, the application of the e-Pinoy FARMS © in the monitoring and evaluation of projects is the best mechanism that would generate, process, package and develop interventions necessary for effective and efficient research and development management.

Through this mechanism, it is envisioned that the BAR projects will enhance the information and knowledge management of the Department of Agriculture through research and development interventions. The information will be shared and exchanged between and among key players and stakeholders in research and development, training and extension, policy advocacy, marketing and agribusiness, regulatory and development management.

The e-Pinoy FARMS © aids in the transactional activities of priority commodities from production, processing, and marketing. Furthermore, it will provide an avenue that would make agriculture and fishery products more productive and encourage more profit for farmers and fisherfolk. As a result, the information derived from the e-Pinoy FARMS will support the DA's overall goal of making agriculture business.

b. Commodity Production Resources Management System (C-PREMS)

Expanding from the gains and experiences of the Onion-PREMS using systematic information and communications technology management, the Commodity - Production Resources Management System (C-PREMS) was developed and operationalized to address the different priority commodities of the DA Banner Programs. The C-PREMS provides a unified information system for the agriculture sector. Patterned from the proprietary e-Pinoy FARMS © platform, an enterprise resource management system developed by Optiserve, it capacitates small farmers' organization to optimize the use of community-based resources available for its members.

The C-PREMS is an integrated and unified information system that enables ground level data to be generated, integrated and consolidated, processed and packaged, and eventually disseminated for sustainable agriculture and fisheries development. This will be managed by key players and stakeholders that require active involvement and location-specific interventions in research, development, training and extension including marketing and regulations through information-sensitive decision-making. This is a transactional system that transforms data into information vital to production, processing and marketing activities for an integrated enterprise and stable agribusiness ventures.

Furthermore, it aims to recognize the need for an information-sensitive management system to allow the farmers and their cooperatives to effectively manage the commodity value chain. Hence, shall make agriculture a business activity and contribute to becoming a globally competitive agriculture sector. The system shall proactively respond to the issues affecting our farmers on importation, mismatch of information between supply and demand, price fluctuation, and more so on opportunities for a successful venture with these commodities.

c. AgFishTech Online

In support to the FIELDS program of the government and to effectively manage and communicate R&D outputs through an information system database, the AgfishTech Portal was initiated by BAR. This is a web-based knowledge portal which contains relevant information on the production of the Department of Agriculture's flag commodities including crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries. This virtual one-stop-shop is intended to benefit farmers, fisherfolk, stakeholders or individuals who are interested to go into agribusiness.

d.Biofuels Information Online

Biofuel Information is an online information exchange portal which serves as a gateway on the latest developments and R&D initiatives on biofuel feedstocks specifically designed as a knowledge base for farmers, researchers, investors, and the general public. It focuses on the cultural management and processing of feedstocks to biofuel and contains other relevant information such as industry profiles of large biofuel producers, researchable areas, and the latest news and events.

BAR through its ICT/AFRIDIS Program create a coordinated and favorable environment for cooperation, partnership and information exchange in support of ATI's extension and training programs. BAR acts as a virtual repository of R&D information and provides access and serves as a gateway to all ATI centers and extensionists across a well-coordinated network of R&D and Extension institutes.