Offices under the Department of Agriculture - Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) involved in Research, Development, and Extension (RDE) trooped to the Benguet State University on October 14 to 17, 2024. The Agricultural Training Institute - Regional Training Center - Cordillera Administrative Region (ATI-RTC-CAR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources - CAR (BFAR-CAR), Bureau of Plant Industry - Baguio National Crop Research, Development, and Production Support Center (BPI-BNCRDPSC), and the DA - Regional Field Office - CAR participated during the event. The 14th Joint Regional Symposium and 7th Student Congress on RDE Hinglights is an annual partnership undertaking between the Cordillera Consortium for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Resources Research and Development (CorCAARRD) and the Cordillera Industry and Energy Research and Development Consortium (CIERDEC).
The Joint Symposium showcases the RDE initiatives of implementing institutions through oral paper presentation, poster presentation, and institutional booth exhibit. The ATI-RTC-CAR joined the poster competition under the Social Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources (AANR) Category. Said poster promotes the Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach (AECA) as an agricultural extension tool in advancing agribusiness among Farmer Cooperatives and Associates (FCAs). The poster is based on the results of the ATI-RTC-CAR led study "Enhancing Productivity and Agribusiness Opportunities of Three Farmer Associations in Balili, Mankayan: An Agro-Enterprise Clustering Approach." Said study came up from the implementation of the Capability Building for Farmers (CBF) Project Philippines funded under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the Government of Japan through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ATI-RTC-CAR poster entry on AECA was later adjudged as second place under the Social AANR Category. Aside from the poster competition ATI-RTC-CAR also set up a non-competing booth for the distribution of print IEC materials, promotion of the ATI's farm youth internship programs, e-learning, digital farmers program, and agritalk on arabica coffee production.
Meanwhile, the BFAR-CAR sent two non-competing poster entries. One of the posters shared the BFAR-CAR's findings under the BFAR's National Stock Assessment Program. Specifically, the posters presented the documented fishing gears and practices used in the Apayao river from 2015 to 2023. Another poster revealed the fish species composition and distribution from 2015 to 2023 in the Abra river in Abra.
The BPI-BNCRDPSC, on the other hand joined the oral paper presentation under the Science and Technology (S&T) AANR category. BPI-BNCRDPSC highlighted its findings in its study titled "Evaluation of Strawberry Varieties and Propagation Techniques for Quality Runner Production." Said study was also awarded the second place under S&T AANR category. BPI-BNCRDPSC also sent a non-competing poster entry for its study "Bublet Production of Garlic through In-Vitro Culture."
Finally, the DA-RFO-CAR joined the institutional booth competition mainly showcasing its research and development initiatives focused on the Cordillera heirloom rice. The RFO-CAR is the only National Government Agency which joined the institutional booth competition as the rest of the competing entries came from State Universities and Colleges in CAR. DA-RFO-CAR's institutional booth entry was awarded the special citation "Early Bird Award" during the closing program.
The Benguet State University, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology - CAR, hosted the 14th Joint Regional Symposium and 7th Student Congress on RDE Highlights. The ATI-RTC-CAR, BFAR-CAR, BPI-BNCRDPSC, and DA-RFO-CAR are among the 19 CorCAARRD Consortium Member Institutions. The Consortium traces its roots from the Highland Agriculture Research Center (HARC) established on November 17, 1978 with former DA Secretary William D. Dar as its first director. It was later formally established as a consortium in 1980. The CorCAARRD serves as a regional venue for planning, evaluating, and sharing resources among the CAR RDE agencies. The Cordillera Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Development Consortium (CIEERDEC) meanwhile is a tripartite organization of the academe, government, and business sectors. CIERDEC aims to strengthen the Research and Development capabilities of its member-agencies in the field of energy, industry, and emerging technology in CAR. This year's theme is "RDE Dap-ay: Forging Strategic Pathways through Innovation and Sustainable RDE."
