Measuring Impact

Research that works for developing countries and Australia

 

Philippines - Priorities

  1. Overview
  2. Country Strategy
  3. Priorities
  4. Key Program Managers
  5. Current Projects
  6. Concluded Projects
  7. Achievements
  8. Relevant Publications
  9. Country News and Stories
  10. Project Locations
  11. Country Office
  12. Country Portfolio
  13. Fellowship Statistics

Priorities

ACIAR has a program of consultations with key partner countries on a rolling basis to establish priorities for research collaboration. The most recent full program consultation with the Philippines was held in March 2006; a record of the consultation is available at <www.aciar.gov.au> under Partner country priorities/Philippines. A horticulture consultation workshop was held in September 2007, and during 2008-09 a number of meetings were held to design a new collaborative mariculture program. It is anticipated that a further full program consultation will be held during 2009-10.

Most ACIAR-supported informal and postgraduate research degree training will remain within the context of active projects. However, ACIAR will also support short training courses that strengthen capacity to apply results of research to fit the needs of farmers and policymakers. The program of training will comprise the following courses: economics and social science for biophysical scientists; participatory agricultural research/extension; project evaluation and impact assessment; research business management and commercialisation; information and communication technology for R&D; and training in supply chain management.

Agreed priorities for collaborative R&D programs are listed under four thematic areas.

Subprogram 1: Increasing the market competitiveness of Philippines horticultural products

1A: Meeting market specifications for horticultural products

  • Identification of farmer incentives for adoption of horticultural postharvest systems improvements
  • Development and implementation of new quality management and food safety systems
  • Economic analysis of marketing chains and channels for perishables, and building of supply chains to improve alliances between suppliers, processors, institutional buyers and marketers
  • Nutrient and pesticide management to save costs and reduce residues.

1B: Higher returns from vegetable production

  • Adoption of protected cropping technologies and reduction of inputs
  • Disease management relating to bacterial wilt and other soil-borne diseases in solanaceous and crucifer crops; and pest management systems for diamondback moth control in brassicas
  • Efficient production systems for seed potato
  • Germplasm evaluation and development of management packages for native vegetables
  • Improvement in postharvest handling, quality, and sanitary and phytosanitary standards for markets for salad and semi-temperate vegetables.

1C: Tropical fruit for export and premium domestic markets

  • Selection and clonal propagation of new quality mango germplasm
  • Improved cultural practices and control of major pests and diseases of mango, durian and jackfruit
  • Improvement in postharvest handling, quality, and sanitary and phytosanitary standards for markets for tropical fruit crops.

Subprogram 2: Competitive and sustainable aquaculture production

  • Adoption of mariculture-based strategies to provide livelihoods and enhance locally- managed fisheries with an initial emphasis on sea cucumbers
  • Assessment of the impacts of mariculture on the community livelihoods of small fishers
  • Application of results from ACIAR projects in other countries, and review of opportunities and constraints in the supply chain for key aquaculture products, particularly grouper, mud crab and seaweed
  • Management of viral nervous necrosis of marine finfish.

Subprogram 3: Farmer-based land and water resource management for profitable and sustainable agriculture

  • Catchment-scale adaptation of integrated soil and water conservation technologies, integrating agricultural production and agroforestry with an enhanced market focus
  • Improved watershed management in the context of adaptation to potential negative impacts of climate change on food security
  • Water resource management, including groundwater and water harvesting, for high-value vegetable and fruit crops
  • Understanding valuation and financing mechanisms for environmental services in watersheds for soil and water conservation
  • Integrated nutrient management for low-input farming systems.

Subprogram 4: Identifying and addressing policy and technical constraints to the adoption of research outputs

  • Identification of research interventions to improve productivity and access to staple commodities by the poor
  • Development of simple replicable business models for agribusiness development of small farms
  • Application of better extension models for earlier research results
  • Identification and addressing of local and national policy constraints to adoption of research, including land use, land tenure, taxation and transportation policies; sanitary and phytosanitary standards and intellectual property rights
  • Assessment of policy and market constraints to agroforestry development on small farms
  • Assessment of policy constraints to the control and management of IUU fishing
  • Identification of researchable technical and agribusiness constraints for small-medium enterprise (SME) engagement in profitable livestock enterprises.