JICA funds sustainable farm management in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Japanese government is boosting its sustainable farm management program in the Philippines to contribute to the country’s food security.

The Central Luzon State University and Tamagawa University in Japan recently started a five-year research project called Development of Novel Disease Management Systems for Banana and Cacao, aimed at boosting the country’s efforts in curbing hunger and promoting environment-friendly food production.

The project is implemented under the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan’s bilateral aid agency.

Project sites identified are Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Davao.

JICA Philippines senior representative Ayumu Ohshima said the pandemic has disrupted supply chains and worsened hunger for many countries, including the Philippines.

“This will not only support the livelihood of Filipino farmers, but will also study environment-friendly and sustainable ways of producing banana and cacao, seen as growth drivers in the local agriculture sector,” Ohshima said.

Last year, banana exports fell amid the raging Panama disease affecting banana farms and plantations in Mindanao.

Further, the project will introduce an integrated technology system to help farmers address major crop diseases in banana and cacao through disease examination, forecasting outbreak, and environment-friendly cultivation methods.

There will also be study visits in Japanese universities as part of the project’s capacity-building of Filipino researchers and government officials.

“Hopefully, the project will also help the Philippine agriculture sector adopt environment-friendly disease management practices, and maintain the sector’s economic viability,” Ohshima said.

The project is also supported by Japanese institutions such as Mie University, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Nihon University, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Forest Research and Management Organization, Unifrutti Japan Corp. and Bayer Crop Science KK.