Agencies working on organic agriculture, S&T framework

By Alex Villafania INQUIRER.net EXPERTS from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and several state colleges and universities are working to improve the Philippine organic agriculture industry and create a research and development extension program on organic agriculture. The agencies met during the recently held National Consultation Workshop on Organic Agriculture S&T Framework and Specific RDE Program fro 200702010 last July 26 and 27. The workshop includes organizing different activities into coherent focused strategic programs, most importantly the priority projects and roles of stakeholders in pushing and promoting organic agriculture. An organic agriculture S&T framework is hoped to increase the country’s food production. Organic agriculture relies largely on conventional farming techniques without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified organisms. The plan is to get R&D partners, especially farmers and agricultural experts to participate in crafting the S&T framework for organic agriculture. A previous project by the DOST’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) is the Investment Package for the Commercial Production of Organic Fertilizer, which hopes to provide information to potential entrepreneurs on organic fertilizer enterprise investments. PCARRD has already started organic vegetable production in Ilocos Norte and La Union.