Monthly Archives: September 2014

Now I Know! A disaster preparedness software for the youth

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by Ana Dominique Batacan and Krizia Mae Palma

The School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM) takes part in the annual “Syensaya” at Copeland Gymnasium in the University of the Philippines Los Banos campus. The exhibit features the newly developed software on the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) called the “Now I know!”

“Now I Know!” is a software created by SESAM to educate elementary and high school students about disasters. The software contains quizzes, stories, and trivia about DRRM. Aside from informing, it also tests the users’ knowledge on disaster preparedness, which is “a big environmental issue nowadays” according to Lylee de Jesus, a university researcher at SESAM.

Syensaya 2014

A guest at the SESAM booth tries the software

One promotion strategy adopted for this project was the distribution of a one-liner sticker among tricycle drivers and business owners during registration for and/or renewal of licenses. The municipal government of Los Banos distributes the stickers and requires its placement in tricycles and business establishments. The initiative was funded by Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCCARD), in cooperation with SESAM and municipality of Los Banos.

SESAM plans to further promote the project by distributing CDs to schools all over the country identified and funded by the World Food Programme. Radio plugs, drama, and stickers have already been distributed in Cagayan Valley.

The exhibit at the Syensaya aims is to showcase the program to the youth and help educate them about the DRRM. A cellphone application is being developed to adapt to the high-tech world.

Syensaya 2014: Bee aware! UPLB IBS joins annual Syensaya fair

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by Mikail Y. Mauleon

The annual Syensaya science fair formally opened on September 10 in the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) campus with the theme “Los Banos Science Community: Supporting the nation in meeting global challenges.” Fanfare and festivities kicked off the opening ceremony with UPLB officials welcoming the participating organizations and guests.

One participating organization was the Institute of Biological Sciences (IBS) of UPLB. The IBS entry was the “The Bee Program” which showcased bee products in three different parts of the exhibit.

The first section of the booth showcased the actual bees that produce honey. European honey bees and stingless bees were brought for exhibit in their respective hives. The IBS staff explained the honey extraction process to interested guests using the laboratory equipment for extracting the honey.

The second section featured a simulation of how worker bees collect honey from the nectarines. The process was demonstrated through a game wherein participants collected water, which symbolized the nectar, using a syringe and placed the liquid into the honey cells within one minute. According to the IBS staff, the game simulated only a fraction of the actual work that bees go through.

Syensaya

“Worker bees” for the day. Guests at the IBS booth try out the game simulating the honey-collection process from the nectarines to the honey cells. (Photo by MY Mauleon)

The third section of the booth focused on pollination, which was also explained through a game. This simulation entailed participants transferring the gold-colored balls, representing the pollen, from the female flower to the male flower. This was done in order to simulate the process of pollination and explain its importance.

FEED Inc, UPLB join hands in planting native trees in Quezon

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by Rosmelia Raymundo

[PRESS RELEASE] On August 30, a group of multi-stakeholder eco warriors planted indigenous Philippine wood species trees at the Laguna Quezon Land Grant (LQLG) area between Sinoloan and Real in Quezon Province. The UP Los Baños Land Grant Management Office, the Philippine Army and the non-profit organization Fostering Education and Environment for Development (FEED), Inc. carried out the sixth leg of their environmental program LIVING LEGACY: Plant A Tree, FEED Our Future.

The planting of 1000 indigenous Philippine wood species at the Sierra Madre mountains will support the goal of the LIVING LEGACY: Plant A Tree, FEED Our Future program of environmental protection, community development, and reduction of carbon footprints.

Most of the tree-planting volunteers came from the Philippine Army’s “Jungle Fighters” from the 1st Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Battalion. Notably, it was also attended by three of FEED’s UP Los Baños thesis scholars; Ben Arizala, manager at the UPLB Land Grant Management Office; Professor Emeritus Asuncion K. Raymundo; Cpl. Arnold DT. Dela Cruz under Lt. Col Edgar Mangabay; together with the FEED, Inc. President Ofelia Bakker and Vice-President Anne-Marie Bakker.

It was the first time for BS Agriculture students and FEED scholars Jamie Ann Tumolva, Jomari delos Reyes and Renerio Gentallan Jr. to join the tree planting activity. Tumolva shared that that the event gave them not only the experience to plant trees and trek also allowed the participants to bond and get to know one another. She added that the event “serves as an eye opener on the resources that we have and its beauty to uphold and protect. It also serves as an opportunity for us to give back to Mother Earth in our own little way”.

The green organization FEED,Inc. has been actively engaging with academia such as UPLB to conduct research into the sustainable and feasible restoration of the country’s forests and natural woodlands, specifically indigenous woods.

And anyone from student organizations to top UPLB officials can extend their support. By giving a contribution of PHP500, this will enable FEED to purchase seedlings from sustainable seedling banks, will get a tree planted in one’s name which will also support social and media campaigns to help spread awareness and raise support from the community.

Dr. Raymundo summarized the importance of the tree planting aptly, “We need to think decades ahead. By planting a tree, we can restore our forest and nature will respond and give us a better environment.”

Interested to join their next tree planting event? Learn more about FEED by visiting http://feed.org.ph/ or follow FEED on Twitter @FEEDInc.

UPOU showcases organic agriculture in SyenSaya 2014

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by Mary Edrielle Valiente

The University of the Phillippines Open University (UPOU) participates once more in the annual SyenSaya by showcasing different organic products in its booth themed “supporting sustainable agriculture and natural resources management through open and distance e-learning.”

Aside from promoting e-learning as one of the most prestigious online education platforms in the country, the UPOU also wants to promote sustainable and environment-friendly farming.

OJ Gomez, a student of organic agriculture in the UPOU, displayed his very own products from integrated diversified organic farming, which he learned from the university. The UPOU booth featured Gomez’ native chickens, pigs, organic feeds, and plants.

Syensaya 2014

Students man the UPOU booth themed “Supporting sustainable agriculture and natural resources management through open and distance e-learning.”

A chef by profession, Gomez said he wants to promote organic agriculture because of the health benefits. He also wants to develop a breed of native pigs that will be best for cooking lechon.

According to Gomez, he wants to promote organic farming for the sake of fair practice.

“Do you know what conventional farmers do? They mass produce plants grown with chemicals and sell it to the public. But they plant a small amount of vegetables organically, and that’s what they eat because they know it’s the healthier option. That’s not fair practice,” he said.

“With the traditional way of growing pigs, you depend on the income you earn to buy more and more feeds. But with organic farming, you can feed your pigs anytime because it requires you to plant the vegetables that your pigs will eat. These plants are self-sustaining,” he added.

Another good point of organic agriculture is that it does not destroy the environment unlike the chemicals that conventional farmers use. Gomez said that “organic farming enriches the soil because you use natural produce as fertilizers. Even the animal excretions become beneficial.”

He added that less than one percent of the farmers in the Philippines practice organic agriculture. That is why he is trying to promote it by continuing to participate in every science fair he can, SyenSaya being one of them.

When farms and machines fuse: AMDP exhibits innovations for agricultural mechanization

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by John Paul M. Omac

There is a common conception that agriculture banks purely on manual labor, and that machinery would be odd in such a setting. However, for an institute envisioning productive and sustainable agriculture, that notion should be challenged.

This is what the Agricultural Mechanization Development Program (AMDP) has continuously tried to do, as shown in their exhibit in the annual Los Banos Science Fair, SyenSaya, being held from September 10-12 at the Copeland Gymnasium, University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB).

As the research development and extension arm of the College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, AMDP has already developed various technologies and machinery to help farmers improve their production and practices. Among these machines featured in their exhibit were the UPLB hand tractor, a simple hand tractor that can operate at lower power engines than those used by other tractors; the animal-drawn plow-mounted corn seeder, which aids farmers to plant their corn seeds mechanically with even spacing; and the UPLB two-drum corn sheller, which automatically separates corn kernels from its core and husk.

According to Mario C. Bueno, university extension specialist, AMDP is committed to serve the Philippine agri-fisheries sector through mechanization. “We envision the Philippines to be responsive to the challenges of food security, energy sustainability, and environmental protection,” he said.

In 2012, AMDP was institutionalized through Republic Act 10601 or the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law to lead and coordinate the agricultural and fishery mechanization RDE program of all academic institutions in the country. The law mandates AMDP to assist other State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) with their research and extension programs.

“We also serve as a ‘clearing house’ of mechanization researches in other SUCs,” Bueno added.

Bueno also explained that they try to be as hands on as they can with their work, which includes community visits, mechanization needs assessments and analysis, and even trainings for the farmers and fishermen. Their beneficiaries have even extended to as far as Bohol and Mindanao.

Even young students who went to the fair showed appreciation for the program.

Albert Pena, a grade six student from Tadlac Elementary School, said that he is glad that there are efforts to help the farmers. “Dapat po kasing tulungan rin ang mga magsasaka dahil sila ang nagbibigay ng pagkain sa mga tao,” Pena said.

For their contribution to research and extension in agricultural mechanization, AMDP has been recognized as the Outstanding Research Program during the UPLB’s 104th foundation anniversary.

However, for people in the AMDP, the contribution they have done is more than the award itself. “It’s more like of a bonus,” Bueno said.