With program issues ironed out, all is set for the Council’s landmark program to boost the human resources in the agriculture, forestry and natural resources (AFNR) sectors.
The management team of the 200-million program on “Enhancing the demand for AFNR graduates through S&T (science and technology)”, started 2009 with a series of inception meetings with three partner- state universities and colleges (SUCs), namely: Bicol University (BU), Jan. 7-8; Cavite State University (CvSU), Jan 13-16; and the Visayas State University (VSU), Jan 22-23.
This series of inception meetings signaled the formal take off of proposals approved last year. The meetings also served as venues to discuss and clear up the provisions stipulated in the memorandum of agreements. The deliverables, project management structures, financial and work plans, and the monitoring and evaluation system were also comprehensively discussed.
The meetings were called for the implementation of projects 2 and 3.1: Institutional capability enhancement in key higher educational institutions in AFNR and Entrepreneurship development and employment generation, respectively.
Visualizing a holistic and coordinated project implementation, BU President Fay Lea Patria Lauraya underlined her team’s guiding principle as “Burogkos Gabos” or to bind together.
Meanwhile, CvSU Vice-President for administrative Support and Services Hernando Robles expressed helping stanch the dwindling enrolment in the university’s agricultural courses.
Lauraya, CvSU President Divinia Chavez, and VSU President Jose Bacusmo led their respective universities in this momentous partnership with PCARRD. Representing the Council were Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD) officials and staff: Dr. Albert P. Aquino, director; Dr. Ernesto Brown, asst. director; and Mr. Richard B. Daite, staff. From the AFNR Program, Dr. Melvin B. Carlos, manager; Mr. Tom Cabagay, asst. program manager; and Ms. Shirley Ubal and Mr. Rommel Bailey, staff members, attended the meetings. Officials from the Department of Science and Technology regional offices in 4, 5 and 8 and regional consortiums of the SUCs also participated in the activities.
The AFNR Program, now involving 52 SUCs, has three main components aimed primarily at (1) analyzing the factors affecting the supply and demand of AFNR courses; (2) promoting skills enhancement among the AFNR manpower through the upgrade of facilities and improvement of the AFNR curriculum in SUCs; (3) and supporting entrepreneurship development, technology business incubation, and employment generation in the AFNR.
Since late 2008, Project 1 activities commenced with 14 regional studies and 1 national project. Five more SUC-based approved projects will be launched in February, while 11 consortium-based projects are scheduled to start in March. The final batch of project proposals under the two-year program is now being prepared for implementation by April 2009