UPLB formally launched at a partnering and action planning meeting on Nov. 10 the “Collaborative Research, Development, and Extension Services (CRDES) for Food Security: The Case of Regions 4a, 4b, and 5,” funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research of the Department of Agriculture (DA-BAR).

According to Dr. Nicomedes Eleazar, DA-BAR director, CRDES is a community action research that focuses on technology commercialization aimed at ensuring food self sufficiency and food security in Southern Luzon.

Los Baños, Laguna — The University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB) will embark on a large-scale commercialization involving 155.8 hectares of its land in its campus here.

The project, approved by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), needs the endorsement by the Los Baños municipal government. This would start the conversion of the vast tract of land into a special economic zone.

As envisioned, an agro-industrial park would rise in the 155.8-hectare land. In effect, this would open UPLB’s door to private entrepreneurs, investors, and companies interested in commercializing UPLB-generated technologies and basic farm products and implements.

Earlier, the university’s board of regents gave the go-signal to PEZA for the establishment of a “UPLB Science and Technology Park.”

Multi-crop pneumatic seeder with fertilizer applicator. Corn milling system. Cylindrical soil sterilizing chamber. Windmill for irrigation. Multi-crop washer. Jatropha oil expeller. Jatropha post-production machinery. Rice hull/corn cob furnace.

These are just some of the new technologies developed by UPLB engineers to mechanize agricultural production and further the development of the biofuel industry; and presented during a symposium held by the Agricultural Mechanization Development Program (AMDP) last June 29, 2009.

“We conducted the symposium to expose our technologies to farmers, students, and even our colleagues in the university,” according to Engr. Mario Bueno of the AMDP.  Aside from this, the activity also served as venue for stakeholders to assess the potential of the various technologies.

Farmers and members of the community residing in the Cambantoc watershed of the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve participated in a training seminar conducted by the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources last June 3-4 in Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

According to Dr. Portia Lapitan, who spearheads the project on “Community-based watershed management approach in improving livelihood opportunities in Cambantoc”, the participants were  taught soil and water conservation technologies during the training.

“The participants were particularly trained on how to make rainwater harvesting structures. The structures will enable farmers to collect run-off water and store it for irrigation purposes during the dry periods,” Dr. Lapitan shared.