Mindanao is considered the food basket of the Philippines, contributing 37.9% of the Philippines’ gross value added in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries (Philippine Statistics Authority 2024). Moreover, the World Bank Group said that the Mindanao farmers and fisherfolk have limited access to technical services, markets, and finance.
Addressing these challenges, the University of the Philippines Mindanao (UPMin) and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) formally inaugurated the enhanced Agri-Aqua Value Chain (AAVC) Laboratory, a research and innovation hub that builds inclusive and tech-enabled value chains in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector.
“This facility stands as a tangible platform for building value chains that are inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and competitive,” said Dr. Melvin B. Carlos, DOST-PCAARRD Deputy Executive Director for Administration, Resource Management, and Support Services. “It creates an enabling environment where researchers, students, entrepreneurs, farmers, and stakeholders can collaborate, innovate, and co-create solutions that matter – solutions grounded on evidence, linked to markets, and responsive to community realities. In doing so, it strengthens not only our research outputs but our institutional systems for delivering impact.”
The operational model of the AAVC lab was tested in 2023 through pilot value chain studies in coffee, cacao, and Cavendish banana. Since 2023, the initial operations of the AAVC lab has supported over 200 farmers, trained more than 100 researchers, mentored 30 students, and built stronger partnerships with the local government units. Value chain interventions such as clustering, direct market linkaging, and the development of decision support tools, were developed in the goal of improving value chain performance in the Mindanao island.
In relation to the value chain interventions, Dr. Juanito T. Batalon, DOST-PCAARRD Deputy Executive Director for Research and Development, expressed that these projects lead to a more coherent and responsive value chain research architecture.
“From PCAARRD’s perspective, the AAVC Lab represents the kind of R&D platform we seek to strengthen – one that not only produces knowledge but builds on systems, improves methodologies, strengthens partnerships, and creates pathways from research to real-world transformation,” Dr. Batalon said.
To support the initiatives of the AAVC Lab, a 2023-2030 roadmap was formulated, which outlined a long-term vision for value chain innovation, capacity building, and policy engagement in Mindanao and nationwide.