Thirty-two participants composed of research and development (R&D) managers, researchers, and private sector managers graduated under the Philippine Agribusiness Master Class (AMC).
AMC is a capacity building initiative of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) for the development of inclusive value chains in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources (AANR) sectors. It was implemented by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and the Foodlink Advocacy Cooperative.
The graduates from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private institutions, state universities and colleges (SUCs), farmer organizations, and government agencies successfully completed the year-round AMC on September 25, 2020.
AMC aims to develop capabilities in understanding priorities in agribusiness value chains and evaluate inclusive value chain interventions. The AMC became a prime environment in fostering agribusiness leadership and collaboration among a cohort of researchers, policy makers, and private sector managers in the Philippines.
The modules held weekly from July to September were initially intended to develop and evaluate value chain strategies given various considerations. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the last module was conducted through online learning and re-designed to identify and assess potential strategies that support agri-food value chains in response to COVID-19, other disruptions, and their impacts.
At the end of the training, the participants were able to analyze 20 value chain mini-projects covering e-palengke (digital marketing), vegetable value chains in Leyte, coffee value chain of T'boli, and catfish and cacao value chains in Davao City.
A special session titled, “Philippine AMC: A Call to Action” was also held on September 16, 2020, participated by Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Steven Robinson,; Professor Andrew Campbell, ACIAR chief executive officer (CEO); Dr. Howard Hall, ACIAR Agribusiness Research Program Manager, and Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, Executive Director of DOST-PCAARRD. The speakers shared their perspectives, plans, partnerships, and opportunities to motivate the participants to continue their impact beyond AMC.
In his keynote speech, the Australian Ambassador highlighted the role of training and partnerships in addressing agricultural challenges in the Philippines. Over the years, Australia, through ACIAR, has been an active partner of the Philippines in agricultural research and capacity building. The AMC served as a manifestation of strong partnerships in these key areas.
Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora highlighted the importance of an inclusive value chain in agricultural development and in framing R&D interventions. He shared the plan of DOST-PCAARRD to establish an agribusiness unit to be led by the Socio-Economic Research Division (SERD) and the Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD) as a step in embedding the value chain thinking in the R&D continuum. This prompted some of the participants to offer services for the realization of the objectives of the said unit.
The last speaker, Professor Andrew Campbell, pressed on understanding the value chain and the role of partnerships among research, business and government in building lasting capability.
Dr. Lilly Lim-Camacho, Researcher Group Leader (CSIRO); Ms. Michaela Cosijn, International Development Researcher (CSIRO); Dr. Oleg Nicetic, Research Fellow (University of Queensland); and Mr. Anton Simon Palo, General Manager of Foodlink Advocacy Co-operative, served as mentors for the last module of AMC.
