LOS BANOS, Laguna ─ Twenty Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) staff and partners from all over the country gathered recently to package proposals for the Farm-Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA).
Held at the BP International Makiling, the writeshop aims to orient lead persons and/or decision makers of PCAARRD-funded projects in the regions on the concept of FIESTA and to guide them in packaging their FIESTA proposals for 2014-2015.
FIESTA is an event-based technology transfer modality of the Council that aims to promote S&T and its products towards providing competitive and profitable business ventures for the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Agriculture, Aquatic and natural resources sectors of the country.
The participants produced proposals on particular commodities as prioritized by the Council under its Industry Strategic S&T Plans. The packaged proposals include those on cacao, seaweed, tilapia, sweet potato, dairy buffalo, banana, darag native chicken, rootcrops, sardines, rubber, tuna, and duck.
Implementers of previous FIESTA events served as resources speakers. They were Dr. Ninfa R. Pelea and Grace B. Brizuela of the Bicol Consortium for Agriculture and Resources Research and Development; and Evelyn A. Gecale and Robert C. Satorre of the Southern Mindanao Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium.