TWO faculty members of Central Mindanao University (CMU) participated in the "Training on Tropical Agro-silvopasture for Sustainable Nature-Based Product Development" held at the Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, according to CMU Public Relation and Information Office.
They are Abbie Glenn Estribillo of the CMU Department of Food Science and Jason Parlucha of the CMU Department of Wood Science and Technology.
The training focused on enhancing the understanding and appreciation of agro-silvopasture technologies, emphasizing local farm models in Yogyakarta, particularly on cacao, goat and timber production.
The Southeast Asian Regional Center sponsored the training for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd)-funded project "Leveling-Up Philippine Higher Education Institutions in Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Resources" (LevelUPHEI AFAR).
The training was packed with field visits to various community model farms that employed agro-silvopasture technologies. Areas included a community-based cacao plantation with traditional chocolate production, a goat farm with a processing area for powdered goat's milk, and a cooperative log yard utilizing timber from FSC-certified community forestry.
CMU is one of the oldest local state universities in Southern Philippines and is touted as one of the best schools in agriculture. CMU was founded in 1910 as the Mailag Industrial School, which the Americans had organized from a group of farm schools. In 1965, the school was known as Central Mindanao University, where Dr. Zosimo Montemayor was the founding president.
CHEd acknowledged the CMU College of Agriculture and CMU College of Forestry as Centers of Excellence, while the Department of Biology as Center of Development.