TALACOGON, Agusan del Sur — The Department of Agriculture – Del Monte Lowland Rainfed Research Station (DA-DMLRRS) recently conducted its 7th Farmers’ Field Day. Soybean technologies promoted by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) were the highlights of the activity.
Technologies showcased are outputs of the DOST-PCAARRD Soybean R&D Program, “Improvement of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) for Better Nutrition, Higher Income and Enhanced Soil Health.”
The said program aims to increase farmers’ income by integrating soybean in different cropping systems, enhance the sustainability of the informal seed sector, and develop improved varieties with enhanced functional properties.
According to Ms. Vanessa F. Calderon of DA-Cagayan Valley Research Center (CVRC), the Caraga region has the potential to produce at par with or even exceed Region 2, the top current soybean-producing region in the country.
Farmers, stakeholders, and researchers in Caraga were encouraged to seize opportunities and adopt existing soybean production and processing technologies to gear up the soybean industry in the region.
Rolando S. Corpuz, Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager for Legumes from the Crops Research Division (CRD) of DOST-PCAARRD, advocated continuous technology diversification researches on soybean. This is in light of alarming problems on the environment, health, and food security posed by climate change.
The current efforts and initial accomplishments of the projects attest the worthy rebirth of the Soybean R&D Program after its long hiatus in the 1980s.These researches are expected to promote sustainable solutions to the pressing concerns of the local soybean industry.