Koronadal City, South Cotabato – The Cotabato Agriculture, Aquatic  and Natural Resources  Research and Development Consortium  (CAARRDEC) will be coming up with a 10-year Strategic Plan for the period 2016-2026.  The said plan would be based on  the output of the Strategic Planning and Workshop  conducted on July 19-21, 2016 at Punta Isla Resort, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato and attended by the consortium member agencies/institutions.

Led by the CAARRDEC Director,  representatives of  the member agencies which include the University of Southern Mindanao (USM), Cotabato City State Polytechnic College (CCSPC),  Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU), Mindanao State University (MSU)-GenSan, Department of Agriculture (DA) XII,  Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) XII , PhilRice-MES,  Philippine Carabao Center-USM, Philippine Rubber Research Institute, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) XII and   South East Asian Institute (SEAI), Tupi, South Cotabato, actively participated in the workshop and provided all necessary   inputs for the crafting of the CAARRDEC Strategic Plan, 2016-2026.   Four (4) other member agencies, namely: PCAARRD, DA-BAR, DA-ATI and CFCST, were not able to participate in the workshop.

Funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Aquatic Resources Research and Development  (PCAARRD)  and partly from the CAARRDEC funds,   the strategic planning and workshop was facilitated by Dr. Lorenzo F. Templonuevo,  a training consultant of LIFT consultancy  services based in Manila.  He will also package the inputs  and come up with the strategic plan in due time.

CAARRDEC, a non-profit organization,  was created  in 1988 to promote science and technology applications for agriculture, aquatic, forestry and natural resources sector  through:  strategic research and development;  capability building and research governance; research results dissemination and utilization; and policy advocacy.

For almost three decades,  the PCAARRD  has been supporting  the huge operational budget  of  the consortium. Other than PCAARRD,  member agencies of CAARRDEC   have been providing voluntary contributions to augment the financial requirements for the operations of the consortium.  USM, being the host,   also provides office space and other logistics support to the consortium. (Helen L. Vestal, NEDA XII-DRD)