Completed research and development (R&D) projects conducted by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in Bicol are now geared to create an impact on the Value Chain Analysis (VCA) and Commodity Investment Plans (CIP) for mangrove crab and pili, two of the identified priority commodities in the region.

This was highlighted by DA-PRDP Project Support Office (PSO) South Luzon I-PLAN Component Head Jo-Marie Libarnes during the virtual I-PLAN breakout session held on December 6, 2021 as part of the 13th World Bank Implementation Support Mission to the Project.

The I-PLAN 1.2 R&D project entitled “Mangrove Resource Mapping and Stakeholders Engagement for Sustainable Crab Industry Development in Catanduanes” conducted in partnership with Catanduanes State University (CSU), was designed to assess resource sustainability of mangrove crabs in the province for value chain and sustainability enhancement, and was completed in October 2020.

Results of the R&D served as the basis for the issuance of the Provincial Resolution No. 533-2021, enacting an ordinance implementing the Road Map for Sustainable Crab Industry in the Province of Catanduanes. The resolution was signed by Catanduanes Governor Joseph Cua on September 13, 2021.

Likewise, the Provincial Agricultural and Fishery Council (PAFC) endorsed the draft Provincial Ordinance No. 023-2021 “An Ordinance Implementing the Roadmap for Sustainable Crab Industry in Catanduanes”, which promotes the implementation of the roadmap for sustainable mangrove crab industry in the province through co-management among stakeholders.

Other outputs of the DA-PRDP I-PLAN 1.2 R&D project include the establishment of the Crab Industry Technology Hub at the CSU Fisheries in Barangay Palnab Virac, Catanduanes. This technology hub was designed for technology transfer, by engaging rural women in mangrove crab rearing, using zero photoperiod and aquasilviculture technology. In addition, the project developed a website that serves as a virtual hub where all information, education and communication (IEC) materials and other project-related pieces of information are accessible to netizens particularly the mangrove crab industry stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the DA-PRDP’s Pili Research-Based Technology Assessment and Geomapping R&D project with Bicol University (BU), has completed all key activities as of November 2021. These include policy formulation, harmonization of the three existing Pili Road Map of the DA Regional Field Office V created under the High Value Crops Development, and also with the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD), and Sorsogon City.

A Technology Investment Forum was also conducted to disseminate 17 pili technologies that were ready for transfer out of 47 research studies conducted between 1996 to 2017 from SUCs and government agencies under its Pili Research-Based Technology Assessment component. These include some of the pili-related R&D researches and technologies conducted by the DA-Bicol Integrated Agricultural Research Center and Albay Research and Development Center from CY 2007 to present.

For the Geo-Mapping of Pili Resources component, BU has already finished the production of a digitized map of pili resources in the top five pili-producing municipalities in Sorsogon. It has also established a pili database and conducted training on the use of geo-spatial data. The R&D team is also set to turn over the maps and manual to the concerned local government units in December 2021.

The two R&D projects were funded by the DA-PRDP under its I-PLAN 1.2 component, which supports the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) implementation through the design of coordinated systems of technical support for the execution of subprojects prioritized in the Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs).

Libarnes underscored the importance of the results of the said R&Ds as inputs and references in updating the VCA and PCIP for mangrove crab and pili to change the landscape of the provincial commodities’ cycle. She also shared that providing calculated flexibility was key in the R&D projects’ implementation and completion amid the challenging times brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With these R&D projects, our partner SUCs did not just deliver their outputs. They have also mainstreamed the best practices, outputs and lessons learned from these research studies. Doon pa lang sa process, may capacity building na sa mga stakeholders; naka-incorporate kasi sa project design ang mainstreaming and sustainability ng project. Sa ating mga partner SUCs, kahit tapos na po ang PRDP engagement sa inyo, ituloy-tuloy nyo lang i-share ‘yung inyong experience and knowledge gained from these studies sa mga estudyante,” she said.

She also expressed her hope that R&D results and recommendations like the roadmaps for mangrove and pili would be translated into an annual plan with a corresponding budget. Also she hopes that policy recommendations will be adopted and considered in the project planning and development of concerned agencies.

In 2022, the DA-PRDP I-PLAN in Bicol will be implementing an R&D project in partnership with Camarines Norte State College Institute of Fisheries and Marine Sciences (CNSC-IFMS) with the issuance of the No Objection Letter for the R&D project entitled Production and Technology Assessment of Seaweeds (ProTechASeaweeds) Project in Camarines Norte. (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit with reports from Jo-Marie LIbarnes, PRDP PSO South Luzon I-PLAN and Ermar De La Cruz, PRDP RPCO V I-PLAN)

File photos taken during the consultation meetings and Technology Investment Forum for the PRDP’s Pili Research-Based Technology Assessment and Geomapping R&D project with Bicol University (BU).

File photos taken during the consultation meetings and Technology Investment Forum for the PRDP’s Pili Research-Based Technology Assessment and Geomapping R&D project with Bicol University (BU).

File photo of Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) South Luzon I-Plan Head Jo-Marie Libarnes; Department of Agriculture PRDP RPCO V Planning Officer Amabel Bombase, and PSO South Luzon Finance Analyst John Socito during their visit at the Crab Industry Technology Hub at the CSU Fisheries in Brgy. Palnab Virac, Catanduanes.

File photos taken during the consultation meetings conducted by the Catanduanes State University (CSU) research team for the “Mangrove Resource Mapping and Stakeholders Engagement for Sustainable Crab Industry Development in Catanduanes.”