Theme 2: Sustainable Food Production and Utilization Systems

Research and Technical Assistance

Sub-Theme 2.1: Efficient Food Production Systems in Southeast Asia (Also falls under Sub-Theme 1.2)
Title Production of Organic Feeds for Native Chicken: A Pilot Corn/Sorghum + Cowpea Intercropping Scheme Integrated with Village Feedmilling and Native Chicken Production
Duration/Coverage October 2014 to May 2017
Objectives
  • Promote corn/sorghum + cowpea intercropping among participating farmers
  • Assist farmers to organize cooperative(s), operate village feedmill(s) and raise native chicken
  • Promote collaborative support in production and distribution of cowpea seeds
  • Improve nutrition among collaborating families from increased meat and/or cowpea intake
Partner/Donor DA-BAR; Philippine Universities (MMSU, DMMMSU, MOSCAT)
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Integrated production scheme for feedgrains and livestock established
  • Established village feedmilling and processing in Project site(s)
  • Effective extension strategies for the integrated production scheme, stakeholders capacity building program
  • Improved income and nutrition of participating families
Status

Completed

Sub-Theme 2.1: Efficient Food Production Systems in Southeast Asia
Title Piloting and Upscaling Effective Models of Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development (ISARD) Models
Duration/Coverage
  • Victoria, Oriental Mindoro: December 2015 to November 2018
  • Inopacan, Leyte: March 2016 to February 2019
Objectives
  • Harvest SEARCA's 40 year-experience in ARD and bring this to bear upon the lives of the rural poor and vulnerable sectors in the Region;
  • Enhance the capacity of communities and partner institutions in effective agricultural systems that demonstrate increased benefit for the poor and vulnerable groups through integrated ground-level interventions; and
  • Assess the enabling environment, processes, and performance in implementing effective agricultural systems.
  • Specifically,
    • Showcase need-based productivity-enhancing and environment-friendly technologies and practices and other critical elements of people-centered development;
    • Draw lessons and identify best practices that can be replicated and expanded in other areas;
    • Institutionalize active community and local institutions' participation to ensure sustainability of ISARD models and projects; and
    • Identify anticipated outcomes and impact, and use them to formulate adaptive measures/interventions as well as to integrate the design of impact evaluation studies within the Project design.
Partner/Donor VSU, ViCAARP, and Inopacan, Leyte LGU; MinSCAT and Victoria, Oriental Mindoro LGU
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Enhance the capacity of communities and partner institutions in effective agricultural systems that demonstrate increased benefit for the poor and vulnerable groups, as well as assess the enabling environment, socio-economic processes and overall performance in implementing effective agricultural systems.
    • A well-established set of need-based productivity-enhancing and environment-friendly technologies and practices and other critical elements of people-centered development;
    • A set of recommendations based on lessons drawn and identified best practices that can be used to formulate strategies for replicating and expanding the project in other areas;
    • Institutionalization of active community and local institutions' participation, through local legislation, that is meant to ensure sustainability of ISARD models and projects; and
    • Identified set of outcomes and impact that can be used to formulate adaptive measures and interventions, and integration of the design of impact evaluation studies within the Project design.
Status

Ongoing

Victoria, Oriental Mindoro

  • Conducted Training on Climate Change Adaptation: What to do and How to Cope with El Niño
  • Signed MOA on 1 February 2016
  • Conducted Participatory Rural Appraisal and Action Planning
  • Conducted Action Planning Workshop for Demo Farm Establishment
  • Formed a DOLE registered farmers' organization, Victoria Kalamansi Farmers Federation (VKFF) as part of ISARD Piloting's Organizational Development
  • Conducted ISARD Study Tour of Victoria Partners to VSU
  • Conducted Production Training Series: Preparation of Planting Materials
  • Distributed Rehab Support and signed MOU on Establishment of Demonstration Farms
  • Conducted Product Development: Training on Primary Processing of Calamansi
  • Conducted Project Steering Committee Meeting
  • Conducted Training on Organizational Development
  • Conducted Training on Primary Processing of Calamansi (2nd level)
  • Conducted Trainings on: Action Research Methodologies and Cash Crop Farming, Knowledge Management, Farm Record Keeping, Financial Management, Supply Chain Improvement, Marketing Management, and Microfinancing Scheme.

Inopacan, Leyte

  • Signed MOA on 31 March 2016
  • Conducted ISARD Consultation with Growers of Inopacan, Leyte
  • Conducted Growers Exposure to Experts and 'Experienced'
  • Distributed Planting Materials, Fingerlings and Demo Farms Establishment
  • Launched Demonstration Farms
  • Distributed farm inputs and rehab support
  • Conducted Trainings on: Bamboo Rainforestation, Jackfruit Production, Project Proposal Development and Grantmanship, Value Chain Analysis and Improvement/Development, and Business Planning.
Sub-Theme 2.2: Food Processing and Postharvest System Improvement in ASEAN
Title Post-harvest System Improvement – Best Practices in Fresh and Dried Chili in Southeast Asia: Quality and Safety Aspect
Duration/Coverage July 2015 to February 2016
Objectives
  • Develop a GAP system for fresh chili and GMP system for dried chili in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.Develop a GAP system for fresh chili and GMP system for dried chili in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
  • Develop a value chain management in post-harvest systems by choosing fresh and dried chili logistics in Thailand to be a model system for SEA countries.
Partner/Donor University Consortium (KU, UPLB, IPB, UGM, UPM)
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Compilation of best practices on GAP for fresh chili and GMP for dried chili
  • Model for value chain management for fresh and dried chili
Status

Completed

Findings:

  • Supply chain of fresh chili varies in each country and comprise of pool traders, distributors, wholesalers, retail traders and household;
  • Middle-large scale chili farms showed a good adherence to GAP, while small scale chili condiment producer revealed non-compliance with all aspects of GMP; and
  • GAP guidelines for both fresh and processed chili production need to be disseminated more extensively to small farms and industries in SEA.
Sub-Theme 2.3: Food Utilization and Improvement (Also falls under Sub-Theme 2.4)
Title Participatory Action Research on School- and Community-Based Food and Nutrition Program for Literacy, Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development
Duration/Coverage January 2016 to June 2017
Objectives
  • Improve the nutritional condition and dietary habits of school-aged children by increasing production of locally adapted vegetables through school gardening and consequently contribute to the community's food and nutrition security;
  • Increase diversity and availability of food within the local community that will meet the nutritional needs of children;
  • Increase the knowledge and improve the skills of students and teachers on food production and nutrition through experiential learning activities that inculcate the importance of agriculture, environmental concerns, and the use of locally adapted green technologies; and
  • Reduce families' food expenses, create savings, and provide an alternative source of income for families to alleviate poverty.
Partner/Donor DepEd Laguna; UPLB; SEAMES
Outputs/Expected Outputs

Phase 1. Preliminary Phase

  • The preliminary phase includes the selection of pilot schools, conduct of planning workshop, assessment of existing school gardens, baseline study on the nutritional status of children, preparation of garden plans, curricula review and acquisition of garden inputs and structures.

Phase 2. Establishment and Maintenance Phase

  • Phase 2 involves the establishment and maintenance of the school gardens, development of lesson plans integrating agriculture and nutrition concepts to the current curriculum, development of training manuals, organization of core groups and establishment of linkages and cross-visits and monitoring of project sites.

Phase 3. Value-Adding Phase

  • Phase 3 includes the following activities: harvesting of produce, assessment of garden produce and utilization, end line study on the nutritional status of children, awarding of outstanding school garden, and development of upscaling strategy.
Status

Completed

Key Accomplishments:

  • Improved nutrition, knowledge, attitude, and practices towards vegetable consumption and production;
  • Enhancement of the pilot schools' respective existing gardens;
  • Preparation of 125 lesson plans integrating the concepts of nutrition, organic agriculture, CC mitigation and adaptation, and solid waste management;
  • Improved supply and quality of fresh vegetables for the school-based feeding program

Knowledge Management, Graduate Education and Institutional Development

Sub-Theme 2.1: Efficient Food Production Systems in Southeast Asia
Title Seminar Series: Crop Insurance as Resiliency Measure to Climate Change: Evidence from Corn Farmers in the Philippines
Duration/Coverage 22 September 2015
Objectives
  • Identify existing GAP technologies related to pest and disease/climate change resilience in corn production
  • Evaluate psychological, socio-economic and demographic determinants of insurance and GAP adoption
  • Assess the perception and level of awareness on corn insurance and GAP among corn farmers
  • Identify appropriate intervention measures to improve adoption of GAP and the formulation and effectiveness of the corn insurance program
Partner/Donor UPLB
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Determinants of Corn Insurance Adoption
  • Determinants of GAP Adoption
Status

Completed

See video and handout.

Sub-Theme 2.1: Efficient Food Production Systems in Southeast Asia (Also falls under Sub-Theme 3.1 and Sub-Theme 3.2)
Title Short Course on Precision Farming: The Way to Go to Feed Future Generations
Duration/Coverage 21-24 September 2015
Objectives
  • Discuss definitions and concepts on precision farming, spatial variability of crop plants and soils, relative and absolute positioning, sensors and data algorithms, harvesting (yield logging and mapping), management information systems (geostatistics, FMIS, decision support), application technology and machine control, and automation and future technology
Partner/Donor University of Hohenheim (Germany)
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Gain a clear understanding of the concept of precision farming during the 5-day short course
Status

Completed

Sub-Theme 2.3: Food Utilization Improvement
Title International Conference on "Econutrition: From Concepts to Practice in Achieving Sustainable Diets" (SEAConE)
Duration/Coverage 12-13 November 2015
Objectives
  • Address gaps in understanding econutrition and its role in food and nutrition security
  • Build on evidences from the region
  • Develop an agenda aimed at achieving sustainable diets
Partner/Donor UPLB; FSC
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Lectures, open forums, and panel discussions concerning the relationship and application of econutrition to health, ecosystem, culture, and economy
Status

Completed

Sub-Theme 2.4: Environment-related Issues in Food Production
Title Short Course on Water Resources Management for Smallholder Farmers
Duration/Coverage 5-9 October 2015
Objectives
  • To provide participants with a basic understanding of most relevant concepts of hydrology and irrigation engineering necessary for the proper management of water resources in irrigated agriculture particularly in smallholder farms
Partner/Donor UPLB
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Participants discussion with farmers regarding various aspects of irrigation and water management as well as crop production
  • Hands-on experience in irrigation and water management-related activities
    • Participants to be able to perform actual measurement of the discharge from the pumping system connected to the improvised sprinkler irrigation system through volumetric method
Status

Completed

Sub-Theme 2.4: Environment-related Issues in Food Production
Title Professorial Chair: Water Availability and Food Security Challenges Under Climate Change
Duration/Coverage 15 April 2016 to 31 March 2017
Objectives
  • Fill the existing knowledge gaps in the studies related to impact of climate change on water and food security over Malaysia
  • Investigate the responses of land-use activities to climate changing including floods and drought periods
  • Present the vulnerable areas to climate change by mapping and modeling long-term data of rainfall, temperature, run-off, land use activities, and flood histories
  • Predict the future impacts of climate change on floods and drought periods
  • Discuss the role of water for agriculture and food security, the challenges facing irrigated agriculture, and the range of policies, institutions, and investment needed to secure adequate access to water for food today and in the future
Partner/Donor UPM
Outputs/Expected Outputs
  • Determine the vulnerable areas to climate changing regarding to flood and drought periods
  • Help communities rehabilitate surface-based irrigation schemes and improve their resources management decision-making
  • Predict the impact of climate change on flood and drought periods based on long-term data
  • Promote the use and management of surface and groundwater for agricultural purposes
  • Increase awareness of possible impacts and help policymakers, as well as farmers, adapt their strategies in order to prepare for the effects of climate change
Status

Completed

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