Central Luzon Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (CLAARRDEC)

Establishment and Membership
It may be recalled that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) established  the Philippine Council  for Agricultural Research  (PCAR) in November 1972. Its creation brought hope for the   agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors of the country.

Four years after the creation of PCAR, the CLARC was born. It was the first of the  several projects  conceptualized  by the team  headed by Dr. Joseph Madamba.  The CLARC aimed to place the operations of the experiment stations of the four  pioneering member agencies under the umbrella  of a coordinative  management system without  losing their  own identity as they undertake research in crops, fisheries, soil, water and socio-economics. The pioneer member agencies include: 

1.  Central Luzon State University (CLSU)
2.  Maligaya Rice Research and Training Center-Bureau of Plant Industry (MRRTC-BPI)
3.  Forest Research Institute (FORI) 
4.  National Irrigation Administration-Upper Pampanga River Integrated  Irrigation  System (NIA-UPRIIS)

Organization wise, the CLARC was composed of the Research Complex Coordinating Committee (RCCC) and the  Central Luzon Agricultural  Research Complex Directorate. The former was created to serve  as a policy making body while  the latter was  composed of  Field Research Director  and Assistant Field Research Director who administered the  complex in accordance  with the  policies  promulgated by the RCCC.

The scope of research responsibilities of the Complex were  as follows:  MRRTC-BPI: rice, vegetable crops (some);  CLSU: cotton nd othr annual fiber crops, swine, water resources, inland fisheries, applied rural sociology, macro-economics; FORI: forage, pasture, watershed and  range resources, wildlife; and NIA: land and water resources.

Training was an integral function of the Complex and  the necessary training  personnel ang facilities were provided under the  general supervision of the Field Research Director.

Also, trainings  on preparation research proposal, research methodologies and data analysis were conducted to  enhance the knowledge  and skills of the researchers/scientists. Eventually,  trainings and technology generation, verification, packaging and dissemination  were also undertaken.

As PCAR went  through  processes of change in its organization , scope, and functions the same was  true  for CLARC. PCAR as we all know became PCARR in 1975 as its realm included  researches on  natural resources. In 1987, it eventually became PCARRD  to reflect  its development orientation, Since then , PCARRD  has been  one of the  R & D Councils  of  National Science and Technology Authority now Department of Science and Technology.

CLARC on the other hand also changed through the years. The acronym CLARC was maintained even as the letter C which stood for Complex was changed  to Consortium in 1978. However, with the  inclusion of  natural resources  and development concerns in its mandate, it eventually  became the  Central Luzon Agriculture and Resources Research and  Development Consortium or CLARRDEC.

With the issuance  of the  Executive Order 366  by President Aquino on Oct. 4, 2011.  The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) has been formed out of the merger of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) and Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD). Both councils were under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).  It aims to effect more efficiency in the delivery of R&D services in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector, thus, evolution from CLARRDEC to CLAARRDEC by virtue of the merge of PCARRD and PCAMRD.