The Department of Agriculture-Western Visayas Agriculture and Research Consortium (DA-WESVIARC) bagged most of the awards during the recently concluded 27th Regional Symposium on Research and Development Highlights (RSRDH) held last August 25, 2017 at the Research and Extension Building in West Visayas State University, La Paz, Iloilo City.
The RSRDH is an annual activity organized by WESVAARRDEC and sponsored by Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) to showcase and recognize significant R&D findings of the consortium member institutions (CMIs) in agriculture, aquatic and natural resources (AANR) sectors. This year’s regional symposium theme “Advancing Science and Technology towards Inclusive Growth (ASTIG) in Region 6” was adopted from the WESVAARRDEC FIESTA 2017 over-all theme. A total of 26 entries for the research (natural/biological science and social science) and developmental/ technological categories were presented during the parallel sessions in the same building. About 100 faculty and staff researchers and agriculture students from CMIs and invited high schools came to participate in the event.
DA-WESVIARC dominated the developmental/technological category winning the top three best papers with their entries dubbed as “Philippine Rice information System (PRISM) in Western Visayas”, “Dissemination of Associated Technologies for Direct Seeded Rice in Irrigated and Rainfed Ecosystem” and “Deployment of Rice Crop Manager (RCM) Recommendations to Rice Farmers in Region 6” respectively. In addition, DA-WESVIARC won the 1st and 2nd runner up awards in the poster category.
On the other hand, the newly reengaged DENR through its research arm Biodiversity, Coastal, Wetlands and Ecotourism Research Center (BCWERC) bagged the best paper award on the natural/biological science category with their entry “Biodiversity Profiling and Carrying Capacity Determination of Priority Nature-based Ecotourism Areas in Gigantes Group of Islands, Carles, Iloilo” alongside with the Capiz State University on the social science category with their entry “Status of Nipa Industry: Insights to Alternative Futures”.
Best Paper winners in research and developmental category will be the consortium’s entries next year to the National Symposium on Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD) organize by DOST-PCAARRD.
Below is the complete list of winners of the 27th RSRDH: