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)