27th Regional Symposium on Research & Development ...

Each year, the Southern Mindanao Agricultural and Resources Research and Development Consortium (SMARRDEC) conducts a Regional Symposium on Research and Development Highlights (RSRDH) wherein member-agencies vie for best papers and posters. Winning entries will then be endorsed as regional entry to the National Symposium on Agricultural and Resources Research and Developments (NSARRD) of DOST-PCAARRD and other award-giving body like DA-BAR, among others.

This year’s theme “Enhancing R&D towards Inclusive Growth and Competitiveness” is a regional statement representing the values of commitment, integration and partnership, helping shape the vision of the Consortium to lead in the transformation of local agricultural practices into viable S&T farming system. Also, with the ASEAN Integrations 2015, the Consortium gears-up to keep it relevance and remain as change catalyst by aligning its priorities towards inclusive growth and competitiveness in the agriculture, aquatic and natural resources R&D sectors.

Conducted as one of the highlights of the founding anniversary celebration of SMARRDEC on August 15, the symposium puts premium in recognizing the most significant R&D results in Davao Region as well as to promote increases interaction among researchers, local government units (LGUs), and technology users/clients. The ultimate aim is for researchers from various member-agencies to strive hard in achieving quality and relevant R&D activities, and therefore, package better technologies for the countryside's sustainable development.

Objectives

The objective of the RSRDH are: (a) to gather research and development workers of the SMARRDEC member agencies to allow them to disseminate research outputs that are relevant and value adding to the Agricultural, Aquatic and Natural Resources (AANR) sectors in the region, (b) to recognize local researchers and extension specialists’ achievements in the areas of research and development/extension work, and © to serve as venue to monitor and evaluate how each agency has performed in term of resources allocated for R&D in the AANR sector. The following are the specific objectives of the RSRDH:

• To present the most significant R&D findings of Consortium member-agencies
• To provide to occasion for the sharing of knowledge and experience among researchers from member-agencies so as to foster collaboration and integration of various multi-agency R&D undertakings
• To select outstanding technologies/information generated for awarding purposes and nomination to national award giving bodies
• To collect relevant information on potential mature technologies
• To determine information that can be disseminated or used on policy formulation and advocacy and/or further scientific investigation
• To identify new researchable areas based on completed researches

With the Consortium’s efforts to reach out and disseminate farming technologies to as many farmers and fisherfolks as possible, SMARRDEC brings the Farmers Forum to the provinces yearly in time with the Regional Symposium on Research and Development Highlights.

This year’s SMARRDEC Farmers’ Forum is orchestrated with the goal to answer S&T inadequacies and address the urgent issues that threatened the farming community especially on “Cocolisap” of coconut and Fusarium Wilt of banana. As an emerging bottom-up process of consultation and dialogue between farmers, fisherfolks, rural producers’ organizations and researchers/experts, the forum aimed at facilitating effective delivery of relevant and timely technologies to end users by the technology generators.

Technologies that have potential for replication will be presented during the forum where farmers and fisherfolks together with the Regional Techno Gabay Group which is composed of FITS Managers and MAgsasaka Siyentista and other partner experts will be convened in a whole day whole day activity. Techno cliniquing will also be conducted to accommodate queries of the farmers present.