For economics students, classroom concepts take on greater meaning when applied to real-world development concerns. Through its 2026 Internship Program, the Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD) of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) provided six student-interns from the Department of Economics, College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños (DE, CEM, UPLB) with hands-on experience in socioeconomic research, policy work, market development, and enterprise support.
Implemented through SERD’s Agri-Aqua Business Unit (AABU) and the Policy Analysis and Information Management Unit (PAIMU), the five-week internship exposed the students to how economic analysis and research are applied to actual concerns in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector.
The internship began with an onboarding session on June 8, 2026, at the William D. Dar Hall of DOST-PCAARRD. The session introduced the interns to the Council’s mandates and strategic directions, SERD’s organizational structure and functions, and the key initiatives and ongoing projects of AABU and PAIMU. Their respective workplans, expected outputs and projects and activities they would support throughout the program were also discussed.
Under AABU, two student-interns supported the market research, market linkage, and proposal development activities of the Agri-Aqua Business Hub (AABH).
Mr. Juan Carlos J. Batalla contributed to the rapid market assessment of the coconut industry in Laguna and Quezon. His assignments included stakeholder coordination, key informant interviews, field activities, and value chain analysis. These activities supported data gathering and validation, helping establish a clearer picture of the coconut value chain, market conditions, industry practices, and opportunities for value addition and by-product utilization. His outputs strengthened the evidence base of the assessment and contributed to identifying potential enterprise development and market linkage interventions.
Meanwhile, Ms. Danielle Faith U. Mappala supported AABH’s market linkage activities by validating more than 800 farmer group sellers, cooperatives, and MSMEs for the Hub’s seller database. This helped improve the accuracy and reliability of the Hub’s enterprise network. She also participated in enterprise assessment and market matching activities for ube and garlic and provided market research inputs to a citronella project proposal in Lal-lo, Cagayan.
Under PAIMU, Ms. Ayumi E. Otsu, Ms. Ruzzel Nina M. Estopace, Ms. Irene Beatrice V. Alfuerto, and Mr. Nathan Lorienz R. Reyes were assigned to different components of the unit, namely Policy Analysis and Advocacy, Foresight and Strategic Insights (FSI), Ecosystem Accounting and Other Environmental-related Initiatives (ES), and Strengthening of Industry Strategic Science and Technology Plan Information System for Improved R&D Management (ISP-IS).
Their assignments covered policy research, proposal packaging, data management, communication, and other technical activities. These provided the interns with firsthand experience in how socioeconomic information and research findings are organized, documented, and translated into inputs for policy, planning, and research and development activities.
Their outputs included articles for publication, reviews of related literature to existing policies being reviewed, dashboards and databases, contributions to proposal evaluation, data collection, and publication of socioeconomic briefs. Ultimately, the experience also provided them with a deeper appreciation of the role of evidence-based policymaking and sustainable innovation in advancing the AANR sector.
The student-interns capped their training through the SERD Internship Program 2026 Exit Presentation on July 16, 2026, at the R.D. Guerrero Hall of DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center (DPITC). They presented their accomplishments, key learnings, and reflections on their respective assignments to representatives from SERD, DOST-PCAARRD, and the Department of Economics, CEM-UPLB. The activity also provided an opportunity for the interns to reflect on how their hands-on involvement in actual projects strengthened their technical and professional skills.
Through their assignments under AABU and PAIMU, the trainees gained practical insights into how research, policy, markets, stakeholder engagement, and enterprise development work together in addressing AANR concerns. Their internship allowed them to apply their economic knowledge to real-world projects while developing relevant technical and professional skills.
Through its OJT/Internship Program and collaboration with academic institutions such as UPLB, DOST-PCAARRD continues to provide meaningful workplace learning opportunities, opening pathways for students to help prepare the next generation of AANR professionals for careers in science, technology, and innovation.