THE Fulbright Philippines Agriculture Alumni Association (FPAAA) conducted workshops for some 300 researchers from various universities and science institutions during its national conference and research festival at Benguet State University (BSU), La Trinidad, Benguet on July 19 to 22.
The FPAAA is a group of returning Filipino scientists, who obtained graduate degrees and advanced training in various fields of specialization in agriculture and fishery through the Fulbright scholarship in the United States.
“As a strategic move, we wish to empower force multipliers for our small group, who had the benefit of immersion in state of the art science camps in the United States,” Dr. Danilda Hufana-Duran, FPAAA president said.
“Such precious training and experience should translate to accelerated development of scientifically sound and sustainable technological solutions to various productivity and competitiveness issues hounding our agri-fishery sectors,” she added.
The research workshops were predicated by plenary presentations on funding sources for agri-fishery research, scholarships and career path for scientists.
Afterwards, simultaneous mentoring sessions were conducted on the following workshops: research proposals for funding, study proposals for scholarships, and bioinformatics for crop improvement. Earlier, technology posters on research projects by Fulbrighters were presented in an exhibit. Likewise, demonstrations were also conducted on various research equipment and logistical support such as microscopy, wireless instrumentation for temperature, pH, water conductivity, turbidity and concentration. A scientific information database was also available.
The workshop was participated by several universities and colleges and various government agencies in Cordillera.
rThe FPAAA national conference also showcased technology fora with some 150 farmers from Benguet on several subjects such as hydroponics, postharvest management using biocontrol agents, pesticide management, livestock production, mushroom pharming and organic farming. (PR)