Inilunsad kamakailan ang 'Philippine component' ng proyektong, "Promoting Eco-friendly Crop Protection Solutions for Persistent Organic Pollutants and Highly Hazardous Pesticides Reduction in Asia" o FARM Philippines Project na naglalayong magtatag ng ‘sustainable financing,’ ‘investment and incentive mechanisms’ sa pormulasyon, produksyon, at aplikasyon ng ‘eco-friendly crop protection solutions’ upang bawasan ang ‘persistent organic pollutants (POPs)’ at ‘highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs)’ at mapabuti ang hanapbuhay, ‘food safety,’ at ma-proteksyonan ang kalusugan at kapaligiran.
Ang FARM Philippines ay proyektong pinangangasiwaan ng Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development ng Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) kasama ang United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Philippine Agriculture and Resources Research Foundation (PARRFI), at Hindustan India Ltd (HIL). Inilunsad ang FARM Philippines sa DOST-PCAARRD Innovation and Technology Center noong ika-12 ng Nobyembre sa pamamagitan ng isang ‘hybrid set-up’ na dinaluhan ng iba’t ibang kalahok mula sa Pilipinas at India.
Parte ng ‘global initiative’ sa ‘Financing Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM)’ ang proyekto na pinondohan ng Global Environment Facility (GEF). Ito ay isinasagawa ng United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) sa pitong bansa – Kenya, India, Pilipinas, Uruguay, Ecuador, Laos, at Vietnam. Ang Philippine component ay parte ng regional project kasama ng HIL.
Itinampok din ang pagpirma upang ipahayag ang kapasiyahan sa sarili o ‘commitment’ ng mga kasamang mga ahensya at organisasyon katulad ng Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food, Inc. (PCAFI), Visayan Agricultural Innovation Incorporated, at University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) na kinatawan ni UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr.
Nagpahayag rin ng mensahe ukol sa kahalagahan ng proyekto si Dr. Reynaldo V. Ebora, Executive Director ng DOST-PCAARRD.
Nagkaroon naman ng ‘Joint Project Steering Committee Meeting’ at ‘Project Workshop’ kasama ang UNIDO, India, at Philippine partners upang matalakay ang mga ‘implementation priorities and harmonize activities’ matapos ilunsad ng nasabing proyekto.