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Archives
February 1-28, 2007
BAR, PhilRice, SEARCA boost RP agri through systematic analysis of productivity growth
by Jude Ray P. Laguna
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| (L-R, front row) SEARCA Dir. Arsenio M. Balisacan, BAR Dir. Nicomedes P. Eleazar, and PhilRICE Exec. Dir. Leocadio S. Sebastian sign the MOU of the three-year project, Nature, Sources, and Causes of Productivity Growth in Philippine Agriculture. Also in the photo are (L-R, back row): BAR Asst. Dir. Teodoro S. Solsoloy, BAR-PDD Head Carmencita V. Kagaoan; BAR-MISD Head Marlowe U. Aquino, SEARCA ConServ Head Mercedita A. Sombilla, PhilRice Chief Science Research Specialist Sergio R. Francisco, and BAR-AFPRU Head Braulio B. Tamayo. |
To address the decades’ long problem of a declining agricultural productivity in the Philippines, the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) pooled their resources in coming up with a program to help revive, if not, enhance and sustain the agriculture sector. The three-year project, “Nature, Sources, and Causes of Productivity Growth in Philippine Agriculture,” which is spearheaded by SEARCA and co-funded by BAR and PhilRice, will look into the nature, sources, and causes of productivity growth in Philippine agriculture and support advancement in empirical work in a time of largely inadequate and presumably poor quality data.
The project will document what has been done in the past that contributed to a robust agriculture sector, particularly from the 1960s to the early 1980s, and determine the reasons for its sudden decline after the green revolution accompanied with the sluggish implementation of succeeding agriculture and agriculture-related programs such as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Lessons learned from the past are used in designing future programs to help meet the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) goals of developing two million hectares and creating two million jobs as well as reducing the price of wage goods.
Heads of the three agencies, namely: BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar, PhilRice Executive Director Leocadio S. Sebastian, and SEARCA Director Arsenio M. Balisacan have formally signified their commitments in an event dubbed as “Strengthening Growth Linkages Towards Competitive Philippine Agriculture” held on 27 February 2007 at the RDMIC Conference Room of the BAR Building. Attendees include: Dr. Mercedita A. Sombilla, manager of the Consulting Services Department, SEARCA; Dr. Lorna C. Malicsi, head of the Knowledge Management Unit, SEARCA; Dr. Sergio R. Francsico of PhilRice; Dr. Teodoro S. Solsoloy, assistant director, BAR; Dr. Carmencita V. Kagaoan, head of Programs Development Division, BAR; Dr. Marlowe U. Aquino, head of Management Information Systems and Information Division, BAR; and other BAR key staff members.
Dr. Balisacan who gave a brief presentation about the project, said that the team is hoping to come up with various knowledge products that will be useful to all major stakeholders of the agriculture sector. These include a book on agricultural productivity, monographs on subsectoral and cross-cutting issues/themes, journal articles, and policy briefs.
He emphasized that the project will not only involve senior experts and advisers, but will also encourage the cooperation of graduate students working or are about to work on their theses/dissertations. He stressed that young researchers are more creative, if not think more out of the box.
Data generated from the project can be used in wider applications, thus, increase the knowledge-base of productivity/growth studies in Philippine agriculture.
Dr. Balisacan expressed the hope that internationally renowned experts in the areas of investigation, primarily on productivity growth measurement, would be tapped. According to him, productivity growth should come from technological change, rather than increasing farm inputs.
After the presentation, members of the media and the DA were given an opportunity to raise questions for Dr. Balisacan and the project team.
The activity was capped by the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) among the heads of BAR, PhilRice, and SEARCA.
In his closing speech, Dr. Sebastian showed his enthusiasm in joining the project and mentioned how PhilRice will benefit from the study. The results will give PhilRice and other involved agencies comprehensive data that are not just significant, but most important, reliable.
He said that pooling of resources would improve the sharing of relevant information as inputs to research and ultimately beneficial for policymakers. Dr. Sebastian was positive that the findings of the project can change the way program and planning is done at the Department. Through the results of this study, programs will be supported with solid evidence and data that will reflect the true situation of Philippine agriculture. 
February 1-28 2007 Articles:
:: BAR, PhilRice, SEARCA boost RP agri through systematic analysis of productivity growth
:: DA sets 10 priority commodities for 2007 Philippine agri and fishery
:: ACAP ensures support to DA programs
:: Program leader of USDA’s RDE agency visits BAR for possible R&D collaboration
:: BAR sets 2007 National and Regional technology Forums
:: DA-BAR, ICRISAT, and UPLB sign MOU for sweet sorghum project
:: Quisumbing shares key elements to establish successful research org
:: BAR sets guidelines in availing of CPAR grants
:: BAR centralizes linkage in R&D info system
:: PEN commits support to DA programs
:: BAR sets new R&D directions; focuses projects for poorest provinces
:: BAPNET in 2007: On the trail of an elusive banana killer
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