The UPLB-Interdisciplinary Studies Center for Integrated Natural Resources and Environment Management (UPLB-INREM) facilitated a workshop with government agencies, provincial, and local government units of Region 2 to craft ISU’s five-year research, development, and extension (RDE) agenda for agriculture and fisheries.

The workshop was held at the Cagayan Valley Freshwater Fisheries Center, ISU campus in Echague, Isabela on August 16, 2024.

Dr. Jeoffrey Lloyd R. Bareng, director for research and development of ISU, highlighted the importance of collaborative RDE efforts in empowering communities, enhancing agricultural practices, and ensuring sustainable development in his welcome message.

He emphasized that such workshops are instrumental in finding proactive solutions that have tangible impacts.

Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, UPLB-INREM director and project leader, presented an overview of the project, “Modeling Climate Information Services (CIS) Application in the Agriculture and Fisheries Sector Through Tripartite Collaborations in Region II, Northern Philippines.”

He highlighted the importance of collaboration among ISU, national and regional government agencies, and local government units (LGUs) in providing climate information to farmers, fisher folk, and other stakeholders.

Dr. Orlando F. Balderama, ISU vice president for research, development, extension, and training, discussed ISU’s RDE initiatives and programs on climate change and provided the workshop’s mechanics.

Participants were divided into three sectoral groups—crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries. Each group identified sectoral issues, problems, and RDE gaps in climate change adaptation and mitigation in Region II.

During the presentation of group outputs, Mark Kevin Ramos from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 2 (BFAR RO2) highlighted issues such as limited fingerling sources, inadequate clean water supply, and fish kills.

The group recommended policies on water quality monitoring, local feed formulation, and capacitating cooperatives.

On the other hand, Dr. Marites Frogoso, the provincial agriculturist of Isabela, shared the livestock and poultry group outputs. They emphasized challenges and innovations related to disease control, genetic improvement, and meat quality.

Thus, their proposed solutions included increased awareness of technologies such as SMART housing, stricter monitoring and active disease reporting, improvement of feeds particularly for livestock, better farm-to-market roads, and supply chain studies.

Lastly, the crop sector, through Engr. Ryan Ancheta, ISU Climate Change Center director, pointed out challenges in genetic improvement, soil and water management, and pest control.

Their research plans included crop variety enhancement, modeling rainfall variations, developing mobile apps for GIS mapping, and capacity building in soil analysis and fertilizer computation.

Dr. Balderama and Dr. Pulhin then gave a synthesis of the workshop outputs and discussed the next steps. The participants also shared their feedback, responses, and institutional commitment for the implementation of the RDE.

The event was attended by RDE heads and directors of the ISU campuses of Echague, Angadanan, San Mateo, Roxas, Jones, and Ilagan; representatives from regional agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the Agricultural Training Institute, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; representatives from the Provincial Fisheries Office, Provincial Agriculture Office, Provincial Agricultural and Fishery Council, Department of Science and Technology-Isabela, ISU-PAGASA Agrometeorological Station, and the municipal agriculturist of Cauayan City.

Participating UPLB-INREM project team members were Dr. Juan Pulhin, Aileen Peria, Dr. Rose Jane Peras, Baliwag, and Ma. Louiella Rose Catudio. They were joined by ISU partners, Dr. Orlando Balderama, Dr. Isagani Angeles Jr., and Dr. Lanie Alejo.

The workshop’s results, which are a culmination of the collective efforts and insights of 40 participants, will be compiled and refined by ISU to support its five-year RDE agenda for agriculture and fisheries. These outputs will be presented during ISU’s launching as a Subnational Competence Center on October 3, 2024. In line with the project’s fieldwork activities, the team also met with Cauayan City Mayor Caesar Dy Jr. on August 15, 2024, to discuss the project’s objectives, ongoing and future initiatives, and the partnership with the local government unit. (Marielle Baliwag, Louiella Catudio, Aileen Peria)