RESEARCH and information officers from Department of Agriculture (DA) attached agencies and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) regional offices have undergone mentorship program on communicating agriculture and fisheries research for inclusive and sustainable development (Cafrisd).
Sponsored by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), the second batch of trainees bring to 34 the total number of agricultural and fisheries professionals trained under the program.
They were trained under the Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Mentorship Program: Cafrisd that the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research commissioned SEARCA to implement. The first batch of IKM mentees completed the program in September 2018.
Fernando Sanchez Jr. PhD,, SEARCA governing board chair and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) chancellor, said SEARCA is sharing its KM practices and strategies through the IKM Mentorship Program that helps maximize the gains and potential social benefits of DA's research projects.
Nicomedes Eleazar, PhD, DA-BAR executive director, has pointed out the need to address the gap in disseminating agri-fishery researches to the public and encouraged the learner-participants to welcome the knowledge and skills they will gain from the session, to address the lapses in science and research communication.
The mentorship program conducted a pre-test assessment of the 18 new trainees to track their knowledge gains throughout the three face-to-face sessions with the second and third sessions slated in February and May 2019.
UPLB College of Development Communication faculty members served as mentors and facilitators.
A treaty organization hosted by the Philippine government, SEARCA has been a staunch partner of DA-BAR in capacity building and research programs.
Completed programs from 2011 to date include capacity building programs on responding to climate change through research and development in agriculture, knowledge management, and technology management in Southeast Asia.
Other programs included were strengthening research project development and management for Agri-Pinoy agricultural development, strengthening DA’s National Technology Commercialization Program, and strengthening agricultural research and development towards Association of Southeast Asian Nations integration.
SEARCA also conducted for DA-BAR a comparative study on technology management.
