The project, “Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines (SARAi),” is set to broaden its impact through a newly launched knowledge and capacity building initiative. It aims to enhance SARAI’s reach by engaging with farmers and other stakeholders in multiple ways.
Key efforts will focus on capacity building activities, such as, a series of training courses, live demonstrations, and provision of technical support tailored to target stakeholders. Training workshops will also be a crucial component of this initiative.
In addition, the project will pursue communication campaigns to disseminate knowledge and information by developing information, education, and communication (IEC) materials. SARAi will also be featured in exhibitions, technology displays, promotions, fora, and symposia. These efforts intend to build strong linkages and form valuable collaborations with a diverse range of stakeholders to maximize the project’s impact and effectiveness.
The University of the Philippines Los Baños-School of Environmental Science and Management (UPLB-SESAM) led by Dr. Loucel E. Cui will implement this project for one year. This project, “Cultivating the Successes of SARAI: Empowering Agricultural Stakeholders through Knowledge and Capacity Building,” is 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 will also support existing UPLB-implemented SARAi projects such as the “Deployment of SARAl Integrated Crop Monitoring and Forecasting in Selected LGUs in the Philippines for Rice and Corn,” “Implementation and Integration of Specific Project SARAi Systems and Technologies,” and “Institutionalizing Integrated Crop Monitoring and Forecasting (ICMF) towards a Smarter Philippine Agriculture.”
“Widening the reach of SARAi means more SARAi adopters,” said Dr. Cui during the project inception meeting organized by DOST-PCAARRD’s Agricultural Resources Management Research Division (ARMRD).
The inception meeting last July 8, 2024 aimed at orienting project personnel on the financial and technical guidelines for implementing projects under the Grants-In-Aid (GIA) program of DOST. It also intended to clarify the roles, duties, and responsibilities of UPLB as the implementing agency and DOST-PCAARRD as the funding and monitoring agency. The meeting also revisited the project strategies, expected outputs, and workplan to level off understanding and expectations from both parties.
Among those who attended the meeting were representatives from UPLB-SESAM, DOST-National Capital Region, and DOST-PCAARRD, including Deputy Executive Director for Administration, Resource Management and Support Services Melvin B. Carlos.