As the field of agricultural biotechnology continues to flourish in the Philippines, a project led by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) intensifies its promotion through information dissemination and a series of hands-on basic molecular laboratory training.
Funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), this project is being led by Dr. Reniel S. Pamplona of the Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science (ICropS-CAFS), UPLB.
With an emphasis on agricultural biotechnology’s practical applications and its benefits to Filipinos, the project has conducted five hands-on training in basic agri-biotechnology techniques to capacitate selected participants from research and development institutions (RDIs) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from different parts of the Philippines. A total of 58 individuals were trained through this initiative, reaching 31 provinces in the country.
Alongside training, the project also developed a laboratory manual on basic molecular biotechnology authored by Dr. Pamplona and co-authors from ICropS-CAFS, UPLB, including Dr. Eureka Teresa M. Ocampo, Dr. Carlo Miguel C. Sandoval, Mr. John Edward L. Felipe, and Mr. Anand Noel C. Manohar. The manual aims to support the curriculum of HEIs and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) track for senior high schools.
The project recently completed its 10-episode webinar series, covering recent technologies and current biotechnology issues, concerns, and regulations in the Philippines. This series is available on the official Facebook page of ICropS-CAFS, UPLB.
Dr. Pamplona’s team is set to participate again in this year’s 20th National Biotechnology Week (NBW) Celebration themed, “#experienceBIOTECH: Expand the Future of Biotechnology through Education, Innovation, and Commercialization.” In collaboration with DOST-PCAARRD, they will be participating in the celebration’s week-long exhibit and hosting a forum on “S&T Agri-Aqua Biotech Foresight and Applications” on November 27, 2024, from 2:00–4:30 pm, at the Drilon Hall, SEARCA, Los Baños, Laguna.
Participants of the hands-on basic molecular laboratory trainings. (Image credit: ICropS-CAFS, UPLB)
Webinar host and project staff Ms. Fritchie Anne C. Tajaran with Dr. Pamplona and resource speakers, Ms. Maria Emblem O. Grulla, Dr. Gelyn D. Sapin, Ms. Kyla Andrea G. Mendoza, and Ms. Claire P. Sandro. (Image credit: ICropS-CAFS, UPLB)
The Startup Grant Fund (SGF) program of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) has now entered its third round of funding. To kick off the program, an inception meeting was held at R.D. Guerrero III Room, DOST-PCAARRD lnnovation and Technology Center (DPITC), Los Baños, Laguna last September 18, 2024.
This initiative is in support of the Republic Act No. 11337, or the Innovative Startup Act and the DOST Startup Grant Fund (DOST SGF) program. Through this undertaking, DOST-PCAARRD offers assistance to startup and/or spinoff companies planning to commercialize DOST-PCAARRD-funded or -assisted technologies, as well as non-DOST-PCAARRD-funded technologies in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector.
DOST PCAARRD Technology Transfer and Promotion Division Director Noel A. Catibog (center) joined key officials and staff from the University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI), along with representatives from eight startup companies, to launch the 3rd Startup Grant Fund (SGF) program on September 18, 2024, at the DPITC, Los Baños, Laguna. (Image credit: TTPD, DOST-PCAARRD)
In addition to the 13 grantees from previous batches 1 and 2, eight grantees will be added to the list. After rigorous evaluation, the following startup and/or spinoff companies made it to the top: 7JF Steel Fabrication; 4G Ice cream House; Bencals Food Products; Ebang’Z Mushroom Farm; ELDICA Seafood Processing; Farmvocacy, Inc.; Healthy Bite Food Processing and Preserving; and Thega Coconut Farm.
Bencal’s Food Products is a processing company that produces cacao and cacao products located at Bagong Buhay Village, Poblacion, Pangantucan in Bukidnon. The company will use the grant to expand its cacao processing capabilities and enhance its marketing efforts.
On the other hand, HealthyBite Food Processing and Preserving is an agri-business venture that maximizes local production surplus and rejected harvests of the agrarian reform beneficiaries and local farmers in Guimaras. The grant will aid HealthyBite in scaling up its processing facility, improving marketability, and strengthening partnerships with local farmers.
Ebang’Z Mushroom Farm offers fresh mushrooms and mushroom-based products like mushroom chicharon and mushroom‘kropek.’ The grant will support in improving its product quality, production process, and compliance with food safety standards through the adoption of science and technology (S&T)-related interventions.
The 4G Ice Cream House located at Hemingway Street, Roxas City will adopt the seafood ice cream technology from the Capiz State University (CAPSU). With the grant, they can enhance the operational capacity, product quality, and market reach of their company.
7JF Steel Fabrication is a single proprietorship business engaged in steel and postharvest machine fabrication in Brgy. Poblacion, Dumalag, Capiz. The firm will adopt CAPSU’s agri-machinery and postharvest technologies through licensing, fostering innovation, and commercializing research outputs, particularly those related to agri-aqua technologies.
Meanwhile, ELDICA Seafood Processing produces milkfish and milkfish products at Bonuan-Binloc, Dagupan City, Pangasinan. The project will help the company develop innovative milkfish products through upscaling facilities and upcycling milkfish wastes and by-products.
Thega Coconut Farm is located in San Juan, Batangas, which produces charcoal briquettes used as cooking fuel in local households and food establishments. The grant will play a crucial role in funding the fabrication, delivery, and installation of the DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI)-developed hydraulic charcoal briquettor. This investment will enable the startup to scale up production and meet the growing market demand, targeting to produce at least four 4-ton charcoal briquettes per month.
Lastly, Farmvocacy is a climate-focused fintech company based in Occidental Mindoro. It offers smallholder rice farmers opportunity and incentive to safely store their rice paddy during the peak season, allowing for later sale in the off-peak period and giving farmers greater control over their livelihoods. The project will support the startup in developing a prototype and facility, conducting market testing and refining its business model, and strengthening partnerships and intellectual property (IP) protection.
DOST PCAARRD and UP ISSI key officials, staff, and SGF batch 3 beneficiaries during the signing of their partnership agreement held at the DPITC, Los Baños, Laguna on September 18, 2024. (Image credit: TTPD, DOST-PCAARRD)
To accelerate the development of these startups’ competencies in marketing, operations, human resources, and finance, the project, “Levelling-Up of Innovative Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources-based Startups/Spinoffs through Promotion, Valuation Assistance, and Development (LIPaD) Phase 2,” was also launched. This collaborative initiative led by DOST PCAARRD and UP ISSI aims to empower these startups by assisting them prepare business plans and project financial statements. It also aims to help them identify and address operational challenges to seize new opportunities. The project will also provide mentorship, training programs, and opportunities for network and linkages within the startup/spinoff ecosystem.
Dr. Dionisio T. Battad is presenting his accomplishments during the Closing Ceremonies of the GIS Training Series conducted at the DENR-Region 10 Headquarters in Cagayan de Oro City.
In line with its ongoing digitization efforts to improve public service efficiency and environmental interventions, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Region 10 tapped Dr. Dionisio T. Battad, former GIS Manager of OneFortyOne Plantations in Australia, to train 24 regional staff in the use of advanced geospatial technologies. This includes geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing applications.
The capacity building initiative equipped the identified staff with the use of advanced geospatial technologies particularly GIS and remote sensing applications in natural resources management. Use of these technologies would enhance monitoring of environmental programs such as the National Greening Program by providing accurate data for effective stewardship of natural resources. Information derived from remote sensing could be integrated into web GIS platforms, making it accessible to various stakeholders through web maps and operations dashboards. The data could be further validated or supplemented using mobile applications.
Dr. Henry A. Adornado, Regional Executive Director of DENR-Region 10 (center) shows the signed Re-entry Plan together with other DENR Officials.
Dr. Battad, a geospatial technology expert with extensive experience in GIS and remote sensing applications in forestry and watershed management, led the training that served as his engagement for the Balik Scientist Program. For his short-term engagement, he covered nine modules over 144 training hours. Topics ranged from basics of GIS, advanced courses on web mapping, development of mobile apps using QuickCapture for ArcGIS, development of dashboards, land use/cover classification, geoprocessing, creation of story maps, Lidar data processing, and tree crown segmentation.
To ensure sustainability of the capacity-building efforts, DENR Region 10 signed a Re-entry Action Plan, committing each participant to train at least two additional staff members in their respective offices.
During the training series’ closing ceremonies, Regional Executive Director Henry A. Adornado lauded the outputs of the 24 completers and Dr. Battad’s relentless guidance to achieving DENR Region 10’s vision to become a hub for excellence in spatial technology applications in DENR. This is necessary for them to perform their mandate to monitor the natural resources of 84 municipalities in the region including nine protected areas.
The completers together with DENR Region 10 officials, the Balik Scientist, and DOST-PCAARRD delegation.
Isang proyektong hatid ng Central Luzon State University (CLSU) ang nakatulong sa mga magkakambing na naapektuhan ng COVID-19 pandemic.
Nang lumaganap ang pandemya noong taong 2020, karamihan sa mga naapektuhan ay ang mga maliliit na magsasaka kabilang ang mga magkakambing. Bagaman ang Central Luzon ay isa sa mga rehiyon na may pinakamaraming populasyon ng commercial dairy goats, ang mga maliliit na magkakambing sa rehiyon ay hindi nakapagpagatas dulot ng kakulangan ng kaalaman sa pagproseso nito at kawalan ng puhunan upang maisaayos ang kanilang negosyo. Dahil sa pandemya, karamihan sa mga tagapangalaga ng kambing ay napilitang ibenta na lamang ang kanilang mga palahiang kambing.
Upang matugunan ang problemang ito, inilunsad ang proyektong, “Let’s Doe Business: Goat milk-based livelihood opportunities to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” noong Agosto 2019 bilang bahagi ng COVID-19 Heal-as-One na proyekto ng Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development ng Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) at CLSU. Ipinatupad ang proyekto sa Laur, Santa Rosa, San Jose, at Muñoz sa Nueva Ecija, at sa Dipaculao, Aurora.
Tulong sa pangangalaga ng kabuhayan
Ipinakilala ng proyekto ang paggagatas gamit lamang ang mga ‘upgraded’ na kambing at inilahad ang mga teknolohiya sa pamamahala ng dairy goat, hygienic milking at processing, at entrepreneurship.
Pumili ang proyekto ng limang Model Dairy Goat Farmers (MDGF) at sampung Affiliate Dairy Goat Farmers (ADGF) ayon sa isang set ng pamantayan. Ang bawat MDGF sa lugar ang namahala sa paghahanap ng mga mamimili, pakikipag-ugnayan, at pag-suplay ng nais nilang uri at dami ng gatas ayon sa napagka-sunduang panahon. Sila din ang namahala ng pagdadala ng mga produkto sa iba’t ibang merkado.
Sa bawat MDGF, nagtalaga naman ng dalawang ADGF na may responsibilidad na magsuplay ng kinakailangang dami ng gatas upang matugunan ang merkado ng MDGF sa bawat araw.
Upang maging epektibong dairy goat agripreneur ang bawat kasapi sa proyekto, ginagabayan ang mga indibidwal sa pamamagitan ng ilang pagsasanay kung saan tinuturuan sila ng tamang pangongolekta ng gatas, pag-‘pasteurize,’ pagsusuri, at paggawa ng ‘flavored milk products’ mula sa kambing.
Tinulungan din ang mga agripreneur na makapagtayo ng mga pasilidad at mapalawak ang kanilang merkado sa pamamagitan ng pagtuturo ng mga alternatibo at makabagong pamamaraan ng pangangalakal. Ipinakilala din sa kanila ang ‘community goat upgrading’ kung saan binibigyan sila ng pagkakataon na magpabulog ng kanilang naglalanding inahin gamit ang barakong ipinagkaloob ng proyekto.
Tinulungan din ang mga magsasaka sa pagtatayo ng mas maayos na bahay ng kambing malapit sa mga forage garden kung saan makakakuha ng pakain. Binigyan ang bawat isang MDGF ng limang inahin, samantalang tatlo naman ang ibinigay sa bawat ADGF. Bilang bayad sa mga ipinamahaging kambing, kinakailangang ibalik sa proyekto ang isang babaeng anak ng kambing sa loob ng dalawang taon. Ang ibinalik na kambing ay ipapasa ng proyekto sa iba pang mga mapipiling ADGF.
Let’s Doe Business tungo sa kaunlaran
Sa kasalukuyan, tatlo sa limang MDGF-ADGF clusters ang kumita sa ilalim ng proyekto. Sinimulan nila ang pagbebenta ng mga pasteurized milk sa loob ng ilang mga barangay kung saan hinihikayat nila ang mga mamimili sa pamamagitan ng pamamahagi ng libreng patikim. Kalaunan, nakilala na ang kanilang produkto sa barangay hanggang lumaganap ang mga produkto sa mga karatig na bayan at probinsya.
Base sa pagsusuri, ang MDGF-ADGF cluster mula sa Laur ay nakapag-produce na ng 360 litrong (L) gatas sa loob ng tatlong buwan, samantalang 359 L naman ang naitala mula sa San Jose at 263 L mula sa Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija.
Naobserbahan ang pag-angat ng porsyento ng produksyon ng gatas kung saan 0.73 L na ang nakukuha sa bawat kambing kumpara sa 0.5 L na karaniwang naitatala ng mga tagapangalaga ng kambing sa Pilipinas. Sa paggamit ng mga upgraded na kambing, naipakita sa resulta na ang kabuuang dami ng gatas (982 L) na ipinagbibili sa presyong P150–P200 kada litro ay kayang magbigay ng pinakamababang kita na P49,100 kada buwan.
Ipinamalas sa mga resultang ito ang pag-angat ng mga tagapangalaga ng kambing sa ‘Poverty Threshold Level.’ Sa pamamagitan ng proyekto, nakapagbigay suporta ito sa lumalagong demand ng merkado para sa gatas.
Ang proyektong “Let’s Doe Business” ay pinondohan sa ilalim ng programang Good Agri-Aqua Livelihood Initiatives towards National Goals (GALING) na itinataguyod ng DOST-PCAARRD.
The Agri-Aqua Business Hub (AABH) continues to uplift enterprises in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector through enterprise development activities. In its latest effort, the hub organized a one-day training session for the Association of Safe Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Los Baños, Laguna (ASFVG-LB). It focused on processing saba bananas into value-added products such as banana chips and banana in syrup.
The training was conducted to address one of the major concerns of the association regarding banana production — managing unsold produce. Through the assistance of AABH, the group established a supply arrangement with Kitchen City, a food solutions provider based in Taguig City, Metro Manila. Kitchen City purchases extra-large unripe and semi-ripe saba bananas. However,smaller and overripe bananas often remain unsold, resulting in waste and spoilage.
Held at the Food Innovation Center at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on September 11, 2024, the training focused on developing value-added products from unsold and overripe bananas. It was spearheaded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), through the AABH, in partnership with the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) of UPLB.
Facilitated by IFST, the training equipped farmers with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage excess and unmarketable produce. By transforming these into products with longer shelf lives, farmers can maximize their harvest and generate additional income. ASFVG-LB, especially its women members, are now able to process their unmarketable surplus into value-added products even at home.
Banana in syrup processing hands-on session. (Image credit: Maria Alexia R. Belarmino, SERD, DOST-PCAARRD)
Eleven members of ASFVG-LB and a representative from the Municipal Agriculture Office of the Los Baños Local Government Unit (LGU) participated in the activity. IFST University Researchers – Dr. Joel P. Rivadeneira, RCh, PFT, and Ms. Merly T. Panganiban MSc, PFT – served as resource persons during the training.
Lectures on basic food safety and processing with hands-on training on the step-by-step processing of bananas into value-added products were conducted. These included wearing of personal protective equipment (e.g. hair caps, aprons); sanitizing the production area and kitchen tools such as knives and chopping boards; washing and cooking the produce; and selecting the appropriate packaging materials.
Techniques for achieving optimal product quality such as maintaining appropriate temperatures, recommended cooking times, and ingredient ratios were also discussed and demonstrated.
Banana chips processing hands-on session. (Image credit: Maria Alexia R. Belarmino, SERD, DOST-PCAARRD)
The products could be available in their physical stores in front of Los Baños Municipal Hall every Tuesday and Friday, at the KADIWA market on the last Friday of each month, and through their online platform, LB Veggie Move at lbveggiemove.com, in the near future.
“Marami akong natutunan sa sanitation. Ngayon lang nadagdagan ang kaalaman ko sa proper ways sa pagsa-sanitize ng paglulutuan. Kasi kalimitan sa mga nanay na kagaya ko nagagawa ang mga bagay na walang sanitation minsan sa sobrang pagmamadali. Very thankful po ako kasi pwede ko siyang gamitin. Ito po talaga ang target ko dito, mag-create ako ng small business. Hindi lang po basta ako natuto, magkaka-negosyo rin ako. Thank you po!” said Ms. Gemma Delos Reyes, a participant from ASFVG-LB.
