The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD), through its Technology Transfer and Promotion Division (TTPD), held a training workshop on effective communication of project results and financial analysis in Cebu City, from March 18 to 21, 2025. 

The training was organized as part of the Council’s initiative to effectively communicate the impacts of research and development initiatives of its network. The event gathered 62 extension and deployment practitioners from 23 partner institutions nationwide. It equipped stakeholders to interpret findings, align them with project goals, and apply insights to future decisions.

Additionally, assessing the financial viability and on-farm performance of S&T-derived interventions is essential. Various financial analysis tools can be applied depending on the type of intervention, improvement, or technology introduced in agricultural settings. These tools provide valuable insights into the sustainability and economic feasibility of technology transfer initiatives.

Overall, this training enhances the capacity of partner agencies to effectively prepare and present project results, integrating both impact assessment and financial analysis to ensure the long-term success of various technology transfer projects.

Engr. Jesus F. Zamora, Jr., Regional Director of DOST Regional Office No. VII, welcomed the participants through his representative, Mr. Rino Dominic Cabungcal. He highlighted that a major challenge in technology transfer in Central Visayas is bridging the gap between effective extension project management and long-term sustainability. While promising technologies and research outputs are emerging, there is still a need to improve how financial performance is evaluated and how key results are communicated.

In his message, TTPD Director Noel A. Catibog highlighted that successful project implementation goes beyond execution—it must be cost-effective, impactful, and sustainable. Proper financial analysis ensures that every peso allocated to a project delivers real benefits to farmers and other beneficiaries. A thorough assessment of costs, revenues, and overall impact is essential for maintaining the stability and sustainability of extension projects.

Dir. Catibog also underscored that no matter how well a project is implemented, its success hinges on the ability to effectively communicate its results. Without clear and compelling communication, researchers and project leaders may struggle to gain the trust and support of stakeholders. Effective result communication is not just about reporting data - it is about telling a powerful story that showcases the real impact of these initiatives on the lives of beneficiaries.

Dr. Lily Ann Lando, an S&T Consultant, guided the participants by sharing her expertise on communicating project results. She covered key topics such as the importance of results communication, essential components of an effective results report, structuring reports, presenting both qualitative and quantitative data, evidencing data and impact effectively, and crafting clear and compelling reports.

Dr. Marilyn M. Elauria and Dr. Jessie C. Elauria provided participants with in-depth insights into financial analysis concepts and their key elements for enterprise development and sustainability planning. They introduced various financial analysis tools and their applications, including Partial Budget Analysis, Cost and Return Analysis, and Enterprise Budget Analysis. The training also covered essential financial measures of project worth, such as the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Payback Period (PP). Additionally, participants were introduced to impact assessment concepts and frameworks, further enhancing their ability to evaluate and sustain project outcomes.

In his closing remarks, Dr. Juanito T. Batalon, PCAARRD’s Deputy Executive Director for R&D, encouraged participants to apply the tools and insights gained from the training upon returning to their respective institutions. He stressed that making project sustainability a core pillar of every extension initiative is essential to keeping efforts impactful, scalable, and economically sound.

He reminded everyone that producing good results is just the first step. Data, findings, and project outcomes must be transformed into clear, compelling, and actionable messages to maximize their true impact. Whether engaging policymakers, funding agencies, or farmer cooperators, the ability to present a story with clarity and purpose is what drives understanding, adoption, and long-term success.

Ten startups advance to the final round of the second Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge of the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) following the Top 20 product pitch presentations held on March 3, 2025.

The second Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge is a project spearheaded by DOST-PCAARRD in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).

STUDENT STARTUP QUALIFIERS

1. AVAMOS uSORB Innovators upcycles mussel shells as bio-circular absorbent for removing ammonia, phosphate, and carbon dioxide in waterforms.
2. Axiom launched Aquasim, a mobile application that can mitigate fish shortage and propel aquaculture by providing assistance on aquaculture-related expenses and tutorials on a virtual aquatic environment simulator.
3. BioCoat-Z utilizes Zeolite and microbes to maximize water retention and protect cacao from insect damage, sunburn, and heat stress.
4. Mi-DNA provides biosecurity solutions by producing African Swine Flu (ASF) test kits, providing effective diagnostic measures for the swine industry.
5. SENSITECH invented Fertilitech, a soil parameter tester that can be connected to a mobile application that measures the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus levels in the soil for optimal crop production.

PROFESSIONAL STARTUP QUALIFIERS

1. AGRITEKTURA innovates the SHIP (smart, sustainable, holistic, human-centered, integrated, and innovation platform) solution in creating portable aquaculture facilities for smart farm integration.
2. AniTech launched CropNote, an online webapp platform for remotely monitoring farms. It provides various hardware for optimizing crop conditions.
3. B4U: Coffee Blends For You offers customized coffee blends through services such as client consultation, coffee bean sourcing, and quality assurance, among others, that best suit their clients’ branding and packaging.
4. CirPro Innovations processes locally-sourced calamansi and uses the peels to extract liquid pectin, which provides antioxidant properties as health benefits.
5. Lesstics turns single-use plastics into valuable resources such as coco fiber boards, providing livelihood to farmers while preventing plastic pollution.

Witness their final business pitch on the Demo Day on April 30, 2025, at the Fuller Hall, Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Makati City. Find out who will be the next champions of the Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge and will enjoy the prize of Php 400,000 for student teams and Php 1,000,000 for startups. To learn more about Agri-Aqua Innovation Challenge, visit agri-aqua.aim.edu.

Two newly launched projects aim to strengthen the sugarcane industry by developing high performing varieties with drought tolerance and disease resistance.

Sugarcane-growing areas in the Philippines experience dry periods lasting 4.5–6 months, which makes drought tolerance a vital trait for sustainable production. Moreover, diseases such as downy mildew and smut can cause significant yield losses, which poses a threat to the sugarcane industry.

To address these challenges, the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) funded two projects titled, “Genetic Variability and Selection for Drought Tolerance and Disease Resistance in Sugarcane Through In-Vitro Techniques” and “Integrating Wild Species for Sugarcane Varietal Improvement: Advancing Genetic Diversity and Crop Sustainability” being implemented by the Philippine Sugar Research Institute Foundation, Inc. (PHILSURIN). 

Led by Ms. Rosalyn T. Luzaran, the first project will utilize in-vitro techniques to identify sugarcane varieties that are tolerant to drought and resistant to diseases such as smut and downy mildew.

PHILSURIN researchers aim to accelerate the development of improved varieties more efficiently than traditional breeding methods through somaclonal variation. This process induces genetic diversity through cell and tissue culture. 

Meanwhile, the second project led by Ms. Graziella O. Tabulinar will explore the integration of wild sugarcane relatives specifically, Sacharrum spontaneum and Pennisetum purpureum, to develop new hybrid varieties. The team will combine the wild species’ high performance and disease resistance with the conventional varieties’ high sucrose content to enhance genetic diversity and crop sustainability.

These efforts are expected to provide valuable insights into the diversity and phenotypic variation of sugarcane and its relatives, contributing to the long-term breeding efforts toward a more resilient sugarcane industry.

During the inception meeting, DOST-PCAARRD’s Crops Research Division (CRD) Director Leilani D. Pelegrina emphasized that the projects will be instrumental in increasing the production of the sugarcane industry.

Additionally, Dr. Liwayway M. Engle, scientist and project staff, expressed her appreciation for the two projects, emphasizing their role as a strong starting point in driving and sustaining R&D efforts in sugarcane.

The inception meeting was attended by representatives from PHILSURIN led by Director General Ma. Regina Bautista-Martin, Project Consultant Dr. Liwayway M. Engle, and DOST-PCAARRD led by Dir. Pelegrina along with Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager for Sugarcane Ofelia F. Domingo from the Agricultural Resources Management Research Division (ARMRD), Commodity Specialist for Sugarcane Sharie Al-Faiha A. Lubang, and other key staff from Crops Research Division (CRD), Financial Administrative Division (FAD), and the Office of the Executive Director for Research and Development (OEDRD).

Bohol’s production of ‘Ubi Kinampay,’ also known as the “Queen of Philippine Yams,” and other purple yam varieties are set to increase through a newly launched project being implemented by the Philippine Root Crop Research and Training Center of the Visayas State University (VSU Philrootcrops) with the Bohol Island State University (BISU).

The project, “Enhancement of Ubi Production through Trials and Demonstrations of S&T-Based Farm Practices to Support Industry Development in Bohol,” is led by VSU PhilRootcrops Director Marlon M. Tambis through the funding and support of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD). 

Purple yam or ubi is both a culturally and economically important crop in Bohol, with the province accounting for nearly one-third of the country’s total supply. However, its production slowed down over the past decade due to the limited supply of quality planting materials, seasonal production cycles, and low adoption of modern farming technologies.

“The technique is to break its dormancy by planting it all year round since it is only usually planted during summer,” said Dir. Tambis.

With this, the project team aims to adopt the minisett propagation technique to rapidly produce ubi quality planting materials by cutting mother seed yams into smaller pieces or “minisetts.”

The team will also identify ubi varieties appropriate for year-round planting, including commercial varieties ‘Baligonhon,’ ‘Inoringnon,’ ‘Mindoro,’ and ‘Sampero,’ as well as ‘Ubi Kinampay’—a native variety known for its superior aroma, color, and taste. They will be tested in the municipalities of Corella, Bilar, Dauis, and Ubay, covering different elevations in Bohol.

Improved propagation and production techniques will also be introduced to farmers through orientations and training. Moreover, the team will strengthen market linkages between producers and processors to help sustain the livelihoods of ubi farmers and aid in reinvigorating the industry. 

VSU PhilRootcrops and BISU will initiate these efforts in collaboration with the Bohol Provincial Agriculture Office, Bohol Experiment Station of the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 7 (DA-RFO 7), and Alturas Group of Companies. 

The project’s launch was organized by DOST-PCAARRD’s Crops Research Division (CRD) via videoconferencing.  

Present in the activity were representatives from PhilRootcrops, BISU, and DOST-PCAARRD headed by CRD Director Leilani D. Pelegrina with Industry Strategic S&T Program (ISP) Manager for Sweetpotato and Other Root Crops Fredric M. Odejar.