The Department of Agriculture (DA), through its Agriculture Dialogue and Information Network Groups Program Office and the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), spearheaded an online symposium about the role of state universities and colleges (SUCs) in developing technologies for a sustainable, equitable, and resilient food systems on 6 July 2021 via video conferencing.
Titled as “Advancing Innovations and Science-based Farm Production Systems: The Role of State Universities and Colleges in Modernizing, Industrializing, and Professionalizing Philippine Agriculture Food Systems,” the webinar provided an avenue for possible collaborations between SUCs, DA, and private sector for the betterment of the agriculture and fisheries sector.
“The SUCs in the country have been partners of the government and the private sector in developing available tools in various segments and in the value-chain such as crop varieties, animal breeds, farm inputs, and other technologies—including value-adding food products,” DA Policy Research Service director Noel Padre said.
As one of the major partners of DA in its pursuit through its strategies under the Food Security Framework, Dr. Tirso Ronquillo of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges and Dr. Edgardo Tulin of the SUC-Association of Colleges of Agriculture in the Philippines were tasked to present a list of salient contributions that were aligned to the agri-fishery sector’s modernization, industrialization, and professionalization.
It was emphasized that food system technologies and innovations will be instrumental to achieving the sustainable development goals.
“To realize our goals, we must apply a whole of nation approach wherein a diversity of stakeholders will be involved— including voices that are seldom heard, and provide an important opportunity for participants to debate, collaborate, and take action towards a better future,” Agriculture Secretary William Dar emphasized.
During his ways forward and closing message, director Mamaril shared that he was happy with the participation of the attendees and that the online symposium is one of the fora that the bureau had really enjoyed.