The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) and the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) together with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) launched the FLExPHD Competition: Mobile Application (App) Development on November 16, 2022.
With the common goal of developing healthy and sustainable food systems, the three agencies jointly support the promotion of Planetary Health Diet (PHD) to solve the “triple burden” of malnutrition in the Philippines, which is characterized by: 1) too little intake of nutritious food, 2) too much intake of food that is lacking in nutrients, and 3) hidden hunger or micronutrient deficiencies.
PHD, as a form of “sustainable diet” that is healthy for both the people and the planet, is one that is protective of the environment; can be modified to be culturally acceptable; accessible; economically fair and affordable; and nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; all while optimizing natural and human resources.
To push the initiative, the FLExPHD, which stands for “Food is Life Exemplified promoting Planetary Health Diet,” was launched to help change food habits among Filipinos through a mobile app. This offers opportunities for organizations and app developers to engage in collaborative efforts in seeking solutions to reverse the Filipino’s usual unhealthy diet. The app is envisioned to guide consumers in making data and values-driven food choices with PHD serving as its core decision support system.
The grand launch was attended by 243 participants composed of students, researchers, data analysts, computer programmers, app developers, and other stakeholders from the government, business industries, academic and research institutions, and civil society.
Ms. Meliza F. Abeleda, Assistant Director of the Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD) of DOST-PCAARRD moderated the said event, while Dr. Renzo R. Guinto, Director of the Planetary and Global Health Program at St. Luke’s Medical Center and Ms. Juana Manahan-Yupangco, founder and editor of Mesa Ni Misis, an online platform for plant-based recipes and healthy living, both served as the resource speakers. They presented the importance of healthy living, specifically its relationship to the PHD and underutilized plant-based recipes.
This was followed by the ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, Executive Director of DOST-PCAARRD, Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr., Interim President of NAST, and Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio, Executive Director of SEARCA.
Subsequently, Mr. Glenn N. Baticados, the Program Head of SEARCA’s Emerging Innovation for Growth Department, presented the full mechanics of the competition. DOST-PCAARRD, together with NAST, SEARCA, and invited experts will conduct regional hackathons and mentoring activities in the following months to impart skills on app development, impart knowledge, and inculcate the value of PHD. This will be held nationwide in four series, covering the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The FLExPHD Competition is open to teams of Filipino students, researchers, data analysts, computer programmers, app developers and other stakeholders, preferably carrying the name of a school, company, non-governmental organization, cooperative, or an association. The grand prize winner will receive P 500,000 in cash while the 2nd and 3rd prize winners will receive P 200,000 and P 100,000, respectively.
For more information regarding the mechanics of the FLExPHD Competition, please visit this link: http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/portal/index.php/flexphd-food-is-life-exemplified-call-for-participants/file.
The strategic partnership of DOST-PCAARRD with NAST and SEARCA supports the priorities of the Council on socio-economics and policy research agenda under the Harmonized National Research and Development Agenda (HNRDA) for the AANR sector.