The Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment (SEARICE) and Central Philippines State University (CPSU) partnered to host a Project Implementation Review at the CPSU Mini Hotel in Kabankalan City on April 15-16, 2025.

 The project review provided valuable insights on the implementation of the ongoing partnership project: “Engendering Access for Smallholder Farmers to Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture for Conservation and Sustainable Use”

 Farmer association leaders and representatives from Bago City and Kabankalan City joined the SEARICE and CPSU teams in assessing the project's progress and charting the course for the second cropping season, allowing them to recognize milestones, pinpoint areas for improvement, and ensure that project activities are focused on the needs of local farming communities.

 A notable highlight of the event was the ceremonial handover of rice seeds from the Tabucol Farmers Association to the CPSU Gene Bank—exemplifying the gradual realization of the conservation of local plant genetic resources and granting accessibility for these resources to grassroot farmers as envisioned by SEARICE and CPSU.

 The two-day session reinforced the project's dedication to empowering smallholder farmers as crucial players in preserving agricultural biodiversity and promoting sustainable food systems to enhance smallholder farmers' access to plant genetic resources for sustainable use and conservation.

 Key discussions focused on scheduling asynchronous planting to support gene banking and seed production goals, aligning with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Farmers’ Field School (FFS) activities—covering group and individual setups as well as budget allocations contribute to the farmers' knowledge and skills.

 Another key area of review was the allocation of the remaining nine crops for adaptability trials, food processing, and participatory breeding; partner associations were assigned specific roles to further assess the potential of these crops under diverse farming conditions.

 SEARICE and CPSU recognizes the vital role of farmers as custodians of agricultural biodiversity and signifies the consistent commitment of project partners in conserving plant genetic resources and ensuring sustainable food systems for future generations.

 Photo Credits: SEARICE