THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) recently trained 26 professionals from higher education and research institutions for the second edition of the SEARCA Agri-Innovator Program (AIP) on human-centric innovative solutions in the agricultural sector.
The event, compose of participants from 17 institutions across Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, was held online, followed by face-to-face sessions at the SEARCA headquarters on the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna.
A nonformal and short-term training program aligned with the center's 11th Five-Year Plan, the SEARCA AIP ought to challenge ideation and execution methodologies of research breakthroughs with the potential use by a larger market in the agri-food industry.
AIP experts, in a series of online sessions, led interactive lectures and exercises covering design thinking, the business model canvas, forming a founding team, and navigating legal and regulatory compliance in agricultural innovation, among other key topics.
Associate Prof. Joselito Florendo, SEARCA deputy director for administration, urged the participants to "capitalize on the opportunity to engage with AIP coaches to define and refine their innovations, and to appropriately translate their learnings into their teaching, research, and extension initiatives."
He also challenged the participants to become agri-innovators that their students and peers would be excited to emulate.
Julieane Camile Lacsina, AIP technical coordinator, lauded the evolution of all the participants' innovation ideas, taking into account the core of a human-centric design thinking process and a strategic and process-oriented approach to building a minimum viable product (MVP).
The CEO of GOEden, an agri-tech e-commerce startup, Lacsina explained the innovation process should be "not starting from the top, but rather from the demand, the problems in the field; it's an iteration process."
She also emphasized that, for startups to succeed, agri-innovators must move with a calculated risk while ensuring that products or services directly address the needs of the market.
'Data is king'
Underlining that "data is king," Lacsina urged participants to rely on numbers to make informed decisions and develop a foresight for the future of the business.
The program culminated in a five-minute pitch session for each participating institution, which featured a wide range of themes —from digital maps for water systems to livestock daily living and occupational therapy, among others.
Ikhwanussafa Sadidan from the Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang in Indonesia was adjudged Best Pitch Presenter for their innovation on BRISMA (Briquettes with Aroma).
While many established brands have put out briquettes in the Indonesian market, Sadidan asserted their team's innovation's comparative advantage lies in its added aroma featuring cinnamon, lemongrass, and eucalyptus, and the use of rice husks instead of the traditional coconut shells.
Justin Guerrero, founder of EasyTax, discussed income forecasting and projection, including a two-hour exercise to prepare participants to understand their cost structures.
Since traction — not ideas — gets funding, Guerrero and Lacsina stressed that projections are crucial for identifying when and where to spend resources.
Toby Floro, Kaya Founders' investment director and fellow coach, affirmed the critical role of cash flow management in ensuring a successful startup.
While there remains no perfect forecasting model and capital infusion approach, Floro maintained that "participants need to develop the habit of monitoring their numbers, as most investors favor startups that demonstrate a strong understanding of their structures in the long run."
The six-panel agri-tech experts included coaches Jim Leandro Cano, co-Founder and marketing Head at GOEden, and Thein Soe Min, co-Founder and CEO at Greenovator in Myanmar.
Cano, Lacsina, and Guerrero provided technical expertise during the week-long virtual sessions before the face-to-face leg, alongside lawyer Raymond Rodis, CEO of Startup Law PH, and Okka Phyo Maung, co-Founder and chief finance officer at RecyGlo, a waste management solution platform in Southeast Asia.