ICCEM

DAY3 of Training of Trainers program visit Specialized R&D Centers and PhilRice

On the third day of the 2024 Institute of Environmental Governance Training of Trainers program centered on knowledge network learning exchange wherein the IEG coordinators and members visited several specialized research and development centers, on February 21, 2024.

First, they visited the Philippine Rice Research Institute and explored the Rice Science Museum. The museum showcased traditional and modern rice planting practices, rice varieties cultivated in different Philippine regions, and developed technologies for rice production, including smart irrigation. The museum also had art forms depicting the rice cultures and farming traditions of various farming communities.

The next stop was the DA-BFAR-National Fisheries Technology Center, which focused on cultivating tilapia and other freshwater species, organic aquaculture, and pond and hatchery management. After that, they toured the Precision and Digital Agriculture Center (PreDiCt), which showcased the utilization of robotics and digital technology in agriculture. This also includes a tour of their greenhouse showcasing the vertical tower garden and Dutch bucket hydroponics system with automated irrigation.

The tour continued at the Small Ruminant Center (SRC), which promoted the goat industry and showcased different goat breeds, goat diets, and nutrition. They also learned about developed technologies like forage-based pellet feeds for improved goat productivity, and goat’s milk processed products such as pasteurized goat’s milk, ice candy, and goat’s milk ice cream.

The participants then visited the Philippine Carabao Center at CLSU (PCC at CLSU) where they tried PCC dairy products such as carabao’s milk, pastillas, yogurt drinks, and tilapia ice cream.

The participants also visited CLSU’s KAMALIG (Keeping a Modern Agricultural Landscape through Integrating CLSU Generated Technologies) model farm. The farm showcased the developed technologies by the specialized R&D centers of CLSU.

Lastly, the participants visited the ICCEM Museum which showcased the rich biodiversity of the area through specimen displays. They learned about ecosystems and technologies such as phytoremediation and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology.