S&T Community-Based Program for Inclusive Development

Listen and learn from the three entries for the development category of the National Symposium for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (NSAARRD) 2023 on October 13, 2023.

Watch via Facebook Live. Register for this event:
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"STC4iD-SKSU Presents STC4iD Program Impacts on PAEPI"

Last December 14-15, 2021, Dr. Mitos Delco, STC4iD Project 3 Leader, presented the paper, “Enhancing Vegetable Production in the Upland thru STC4iD amidst the Pandemic: Farmer’s Experiences in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat”, during the Philippine Association of Extension Program Implementors, Inc. National Convention on Extension and General Assembly.

The Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program is an innovative technology transfer program that caters to underserved communities and social groups across the Philippines. The STC4iD Program helps these communities establish their own sustainable and resilient community livelihoods that are anchored on the use of appropriate technology, information, and social practices, to promote inclusive development in the different project sites in the country and to empower communities in the Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources sector. Salangsang Vegetable Farmers Association (SaVeFA) was organized through the STC4iD Project 3, “S&T Community-based Project for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) for Upland Farmers in Salangsang, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat”, headed by Dr. Mitos Delco of Sultan Kudarat State University.

In her presentation, Dr. Delco highlighted the impacts of the STC4iD Program to the SaVeFA. One of the most prominent benefits of the Program to SaVeFA is its increased and assured income. Despite the pandemic, the farmers were able to market their produce and earn more income.

The farmers were also able to secure healthy food for their family through their organic vegetable produce. This minimized their food-related stress amidst the lockdowns and assured that their families’ food and nutritional needs are met.

Through the STC4iD Program, SaVeFA was also able to partner and access government support. Their market linkages with the Lebak Public Market Office, Department of Trade and Industry and the Sultan Kudarat State University - Agricultural Technology Business Incubator allowed for a wider reach for SaVeFA’s products.

These impacts of the STC4iD Program on SaVeFA’s productivity is a result of the trainings improving the farmers’ technical knowledge and skills in organic vegetable production, seed production, vegetable value-adding technologies, and social technologies.

Now that the STC4iD Program is nearing its end of implementation, the technical capacities and partnerships with government and private institutions that were built through the Program is expected to be sustained and developed by SaVeFA. These mechanisms will ensure that SaVeFA’s enterprise will remain productive and sustainable.

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"STC4iD MSU-Sulu team re-echoes Policy Development and Advocacy Planning training"

The Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program MSU-Sulu team, led by Mr. Jenny P. Kibtiani Jr., conducted a training titled, “Capacity Building of Farmers and IDP's on the Development of Policy and Advocacy " last May 27, 2021 at the Research Training Center, College of Agriculture, Mindanao State University (MSU) Sulu Campus.

Members of the Sulu Farmers and Internally Displaced Persons Organization (SFIDPO), STC4iD Program’s partner community-based organization, participated in the training while Dean Abdulwahid A. Basaluddin of the College of Public Affairs in MSU-Sulu served as the lecturer.

This training is a “re-echo” of the Training of Trainors (TOT) on Policy Development and Advocacy Planning (PDAP) which was held virtually last November 9 to December 18, 2020. The PDAP training is part of the STC4iD’s capacity development program of Project 1: “Capacity Development and Program Monitoring and Evaluation for S&T Community-based Project for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) State Universities and Colleges Partners. It is the second of a series of training of the Sustainable Livelihood thru Community Enterprise Development. This training sought to equip our partner State Universities and Colleges with the knowledge on how to conduct policy analysis starting from Problem Structuring to Forecasting to Prescribing Policy Recommendations, and Monitoring and Evaluation.

With the guidance of resource persons from the Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies, College of Public Affairs and Development (CSPPS), College of Public Affairs and Development (CPAf), UP Los Baños, the STC4iD MSU-Sulu team was able to identify low cassava production as the main problem and area of improvement of SFIDPO members.

At the end of the training, the project team was able to produce a comprehensive Policy Development and Advocacy Plan for SFIDPO with the goal of increasing the organizations’ cassava production through the adoption of modern cassava farming practices, and technologies; and improved access to agricultural support and services.

STC4iD Program aims to become a demonstration of technology transfer modality in the identified Geographically, Economically and/or Socially Disadvantaged (GESDA) communities and social groups in the Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources (AANR) sector leading them through inclusive development to establish sustainable and resilient community- based livelihoods. The program’s partner communities are Barangay Kiharong, Maramag, Bukidnon, Barangay Salangsang, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, Barangay San Raymundo, Kasalamatan, Jolo, Barangay Bitaug, Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, and Barangay B**a, Magallanes, Sorsogon. Meanwhile, Kiharong Women’s Association (KWA), Salangsang Vegetable Farmers’ Association (SaVeFA), Sulu Farmers for Internally Displaced Persons Organization (SFIDPO), Bitaug Small Coconut Farmers Association (BISMACOFA), B**a Innovative Group for Advancement and Inclusiveness Association (BIGANI), are their partner Community-based Organizations (CBOs) respectively.

Now on its last year of implementation, the program continuous to promote appropriate interventions that will empower communities, ensure food security, and enable partners to generate income from their livelihoods.

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"STC4iD MSU-Sulu Team conducts Farmers’ Field Day"

The Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program MSU-Sulu team, led by Mr. Jenny P. Kibtiani Jr., organized a Farmers’ Field Day last December 24, 2021 at the Research Center, College of Agriculture, Mindanao State University (MSU) Sulu Campus.

With the theme "Uplifting Socio-Economic Welfare of Sulu Farmers and Internally Displaced Persons through Exhibition of Innovative Products", the exhibit featured various Sulu-based agriculture products including the cassava chips made by the Sulu Farmers and Internally Displaced Persons Organization (SFIDPO), STC4iD Program’s partner community-based organization. SFIDPO members also showcased the mechanisms they used in planting, harvesting, and marketing their cassava products.

The event was participated by the MSU-Sulu College of Agriculture faculty members and staff spearheaded by Dean Merhama H. Sammah together with representatives from various local government units, line agencies, and non-government organizations such as Barangay Kandaga, Talipao, Barangay San Raymundo, Jolo, MAFAR-Sulu, MTIT-Sulu, Matawkasi, Bansag Babai, and Radyo Pilipinas-Jolo.

Also in attendance is Dr. Norman A. Abdurahman, Director of a Senior High School in the area, who represented the chancellor to give a short message to the organizers and participants.

SFIDPO is a partner community-based organization of MSU-Sulu under the STC4iD Program Project 4: S&T Community-Based Project for Inclusive Development for Selected Internally Displaced Person (IDPs) and Farmers in Jolo, Sulu.

STC4iD Program aims to become a demonstration of technology transfer modality in the identified Geographically, Economically and/or Socially Disadvantaged (GESDA) communities and social groups in the Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources (AANR) sector leading them through inclusive development to establish sustainable and resilient community- based livelihoods. The program’s partner communities are Barangay Kiharong, Maramag, Bukidnon, Barangay Salangsang, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, Barangay San Raymundo, Kasalamatan, Jolo, Barangay Bitaug, Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, and Barangay B**a, Magallanes, Sorsogon. Meanwhile, Kiharong Women’s Association (KWA), Salangsang Vegetable Farmers’ Association (SaVeFA), Sulu Farmers for Internally Displaced Persons Organization (SFIDPO), Bitaug Small Coconut Farmers Association (BISMACOFA), B**a Innovative Group for Advancement and Inclusiveness Association (BIGANI), are their partner Community-based Organizations (CBOs) respectively.

Now on its last year of implementation, the program continuous to promote appropriate interventions that will empower communities, ensure food security, and enable partners to generate income from their livelihoods.

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"Up for Grabs: STC4iD's Partner Farmer Cooperator, SaVeFA, Offers New Products"

From vegetable and seed production, the Salangsang Vegetable Farmers Association (SAVeFA) is now also offering value-added products.

SaVeFA is an organization formed through the Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program. STC4iD is an innovative technology transfer program that caters to underserved communities and social groups across the Philippines. The STC4iD Program helps these communities establish their own sustainable and resilient community livelihoods that are anchored on the use of appropriate technology, information, and social practices, to promote inclusive development in the different project sites in the country and to empower communities in the Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources sector. With Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU) as one of the partner state universities of the STC4iD Program, SaVeFA was organized through the DOST-PCAARRD funded project, “S&T Community-based Project for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) for Upland Farmers in Salangsang, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat”, headed by Dr. Mitos Delco of SKSU.

SaVeFA is consisted of men and women farmers from Lebak, Sultan Kudarat whose capacities were developed in three main technologies – organic vegetable farming, seed production, and vegetable processing and value-addition.

Since the start of the STC4iD Program in 2019, SaVeFA has been improving their production of organic vegetables, seeds, and processed vegetables. In 2021, the last year of implementation of the STC4iD program, a total of six value-added products were commercialized by SaVeFA. These value-added products include Chayote sauce, Chayote pickles, Vegetable pickles, Squash noodles, Squash breadsticks, and Taro chips.

In the same year, 2021, the association was also able to secure market linkages with the Lebak Public Market Office, the Department of Trade and Industry-Sultan Kudarat, the Sultan Kudarat State University - Agricultural Technology Business Incubator, and two other private buyers. The initial partnerships hope to continue and ensure that there is a constant demand for the products of SaVeFA, making the enterprise sustainable.

Congratulations to Dr. Jenny Amparo on her new appointments. Your DSDS, CHE family is proud of you and behind you.

In celebration of World Fisheries Day, the STC4iD Program would like to highlight the B**a Innovative Group for Advancement and Inclusiveness Association (BIGANI) for their adoption of fisheries and post-harvest technologies. Check their products through their page: B**ani Association Inc.

BIGANI is the partner people’s organization of Sorsogon State University under the STC4iD Program — Project 6, “S&T Community-based Project for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) for Selected Farmers and Fisherfolks in Magallanes, Sorsogon”, headed by Dr. Vivien Chua.

✨Still in celebration of Organic Agriculture Month, the STC4iD Program would like to highlight Kiharong Women’s Association’s (KWA) adoption of the Bio-Intensive Gardening Approach and Natural Farming Technologies.✨

KWA is the partner people’s organization of Central Mindanao University under the STC4iD Program Project 2, “S&T Community-based Project for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) through the Community-based Livelihood Improvement for Bukidnons (Project CLImB)”, headed by Dr. Judith Intong.

🤔 DID YOU KNOW: The month of November is...

✨ NATIONAL ORGANIC AGRICULTURE MONTH✨

This month, we celebrate and highlight the organic agriculture practices of our partner Commmunity-based Organizations! Stay tuned for more posts highlighting our current practices and community impacts!

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“Building Stronger: The Role of the STC4iD Program in Multilateral Partnerships for Community Development”

The University of the Philippines, through the Padayon Public Service Office of the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs hosted the 4th Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon 4) last October 21-22, 2021, through Zoom.

CUPSCon 4 highlighted the imperative role of partnerships between academe and other institutions in battling COVID-19, resilience building, and community empowerment.

On the same conference Dr. Emilia Visco, the Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program Leader, presented her paper entitled, “Creating Stronger State Universities Partnership Towards Participatory and Responsive Public Service” on the panel session which focused on technical assistance offered by higher education institutions. The presentation emphasized the inter-woven linkages that the participating State Universities and College and other government institutions played through the STC4iD Program to achieve its goals – resulting to positive social, economic, and environmental impacts for the partner community-based organizations (CBOs) of the Program.

On her presentation, Dr. Visco underscored the role and contribution of each partner institution, that was forged through the STC4iD Program, in carrying-out the Program’s target activities; and in providing technical and financial assistance, policy support, and appropriate farming inputs and tools. Through these linkages, the STC4iD Program’s partner CBOs were capacitated, empowered, and became resilient in facing COVID-19 – combatting food insecurity among their households by having direct access to safe and healthier food through their backyard and communal gardens.

Apart from empowering CBOs to become resilient during the pandemic, Dr. Visco’s presentation also stressed the CBOs increased farm productivity and household income through the optimization of available land resource and established market linkages. Aside from economic gains, the discussion also featured the STC4iD Program partner CBOs’ behavior change – on becoming more mindful of being stewards of ridge to reef resources – promoting a sustainable coexistence with the environment through their farming and product processing practices.

As Dr. Visco said in her presentation, “Strong partnerships and collective actions among stakeholders lead to lasting progress towards building healthier and more empowered communities.” Indeed, the STC4iD Program remains a testimony of building healthier and empowered communities through partnership and collective action. Not only will these partnerships and linkages aid in the implementation of SUC-led community development initiatives, but it will also ensure the sustainability of the initiative as more institution pledge to support it.

For more information on the STC4iD Program, you may contact Dr. Emilia S. Visco (Program Leader) @ [email protected]; Facebook/Instagram/Twitter .

✨[WATCH] as Stella Pascual shares her STC4iD Program experiences as a member of BISMACOFA in Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor!

Learn from and be inspired by her story in this quick
feature. ⤵️

https://youtu.be/AD4yOsQmaP0

STC4iD Program - Story Series -- Stella Pascual ✨[WATCH] as Stella Pascual shares her STC4iD Program experiences as a member of BISMACOFA in Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor! Learn from and be inspired by her ...

The Department of Social Development Services, CHE-UPLB and the S&T Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program mourns the passing of Dr. Honorio M. Soriano, Jr. — the President of the Pampanga State Agricultural University and the RRDCC Chair of the Central Luzon Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development Consortium (CLAARRDEC).

Dr. Soriano served as the STC4iD Program’s partner during the conduct of its Project Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Training last 2019.

Sending our prayers and deepest condolences to the bereaved family of Dr. Soriano.

✨WHAT DO WE NEED TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE & PROFITABLE COMMUNITY-BASED ENTERPRISES ?✨

✅ Stable Market
✅ Sustained Production
✅ Commitment
✅ Supportive Partners
✅ Market Knowledge
✅ Capital

HOW DO WE SCALE-UP? 🤔

1. Adopt a new mindset
2. Design for scale from the start
3. Clarify your role
4. See pilots as building blocks

Community Enterprise Sustainability Planning

✨HAPPENING NOW✨

Training on "Community Enterprise Sustainability Planning" for the STC4iD Program partner State Universities and College. This training is part of the training program, "Ensuring Mechanisms, Ensuring Sustainability", of the STC4iD-UPLB project team.

For this training, we are honored to be learning from experts in managing and sustaining community-based enterprises.

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Building the capacities of state universities and colleges (SUCs) in Social Technologies through the Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program to ensure the sustainability of DOST-PCAARRD Research, Development, and Extension (RDE) programs.

The STC4iD Program is DOST-PCAARRD’s three-year RDE initiative which cater to geographically, economically, and socially disadvantaged communities across the country. Its goal is to build resilient and sustainable agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR)-based livelihoods and promote inclusive development. The first step to achieving this goal is to mobilize and organize community members and then reinforce their capacities through technical trainings on agriculture, aquaculture, and post-harvest processing – all of which are facilitated by the STC4iD Program’s partner SUC in the locale. Aside from technical trainings on AANR technologies, the STC4iD Program also inculcates trainings on Social Technologies to ensure that the entire process of building the community-based organizations’ (CBO) enterprises becomes participative, which promotes ownership, and develops a need for the CBOs to ensure that their enterprises become sustainable.

These Social Technologies are packaged into three training programs – Social Technologies for Institution Building (STIB), Sustainable Livelihood Thru Enterprise Development (SLED), and Enabling Mechanisms, Ensuring Sustainability – and are being implemented through the University of the Philippines Los Baños-led project, “Capacity Development and Program Monitoring and Evaluation for Science & Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) Partners”. Now that the STC4iD Program is on its third and final year, the Social Technology under the training program, Enabling Mechanisms, Ensuring Sustainability that will be developed among UPLB’s partner SUCs will be Community Enterprise Sustainability Planning (CESP).

The CESP training will be implemented on June 2021, online, and will be participated by the STC4iD Program’s other partner SUCs – Central Mindanao University, Mindanao State University – Sulu, Sultan Kudarat State University, Siquijor State College, and Sorsogon State University. The training on CESP reinforces the previous trainings under the training program, SLED – Enterprise Development Plan and Policy Development and Advocacy Plan which was conducted on the last quarter of 2020. The CESP training would enable the participating SUCs to grasp the basic concepts of a sustainable enterprise; integrate the best practices shared by the practitioners to their individual community enterprise sustainability plans; and, overall, develop their community enterprise sustainability plans.

For more information on the STC4iD Program, you may contact Dr. Emilia S. Visco (Program Leader) @ [email protected]; Facebook/Instagram/Twitter .

✨If you haven't read our latest article yet, here it is! ✨

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✨Improved food security in STC4iD project sites amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, initial results of the Year 2 program assessment reveals

Research, Development, and Extension (RDE) initiatives such as the DOST-PCAARRD-funded program, S&T Community-based for Inclusive Development (STC4iD) Program has helped its identified partner communities through their respective Community-based Organizations (CBO), to become food secure despite the continuous threat of COVID-19 in the country.

According to one CBO member “Dahil may sapat kaming pagkain galling sa aming garden, naka-survive kami ngayong lockdown sa Covid-19” [We survived the lockdown caused by Covid-19 because we have enough food from our backyard gardens].

Aside from being one of the primary sources of healthy and affordable food for their families during the government-imposed community quarantine, the program also provided them with opportunities to earn additional income through their individual and communal gardens.

Moreover, assessment results also indicated that the CBO members utilized their acquired knowledge and skills on agriculture and fisheries through various STC4iD capability-building trainings by venturing on small-scale businesses. These trainings provided them with social competence and knowledge that empowered them to find ways to improve their own as well as their communities’ way of life through community involvement and participation.

The STC4iD Year 2 Program assessment seeks to examine the partner CBOs in terms of their: access to resources, developed competencies, organizational involvement; and categorize program outcomes in terms of: Empowerment, Food security, Income, Livelihood, Sustainability, and Resilience; identify factors affecting program implementation; analyze the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the program; and, formulate recommendations to further improve the program. The results of the study may guide the future implementation and design of the STC4iD Program.

As part of DOST-PCAARRD’s intervention that aims to become a demonstration of technology transfer modality in the identified Geographically, Economically and/or Socially Disadvantaged (GESDA) communities and social groups in the Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources (AANR) sector leading them through inclusive development to establish sustainable and resilient community- based livelihoods, the STC4iD Year 2 Program aassessment was conducted in the different STC4iD project sites: Barangay Kiharong, Maramag, Bukidnon, Barangay Salangsang, Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, Barangay San Raymundo, Kasalamatan, Jolo and Barangay Baggua, Patikul, Sulu, Barangay Bitaug, Enrique Villanueva, Siquijor, and Barangay B**a, Magallanes, Sorsogon, with their respective partner Community-based Organizations (CBOs): Kiharong Women’s Association (KWA), Salangsang Vegetable Farmers’ Association (SaVeFA), Sulu Farmers for Internally Displaced Persons Organization (SFIDPO), Bitaug Small Coconut Farmers Association (BISMACOFA), B**a Innovative Group for Advancement and Inclusiveness Association (BIGANI).

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✨✨The long wait is over, it's already here! We are pleased to announce that we are finally sending our partner State Universities and Colleges – Central Mindanao University, Mindanao State University – Sulu, Sultan Kudarat State University, Siquijor State College, and Sorsogon State University – their copies of the STC4iD Program Year 2 Annual Report, their standardized Enterprise Development Plans, and conference proceedings!✨✨

👀 READ 👉👉 https://bit.ly/2O77nZl

S&T project empowers coco farmers group in Siquijor To serve the poor and the disadvantaged communities, to capacitate and empower them to become productive in order to achieve inclusive growth and development.This is the primary goal of the Science and Technology Community-based for Inclusive Development Project (STC4iD Project), which for Siquijor....

🎉🎉🎊🎊💯💯👏🏻👏🏻🤩🤩
CONGRATULATIONS to , , , , & for finishing the training on Policy Development & Advocacy Planning!

BIG THANKS to our Resource Persons -- Dr. Merlyne Paunlagui, Mr. Hadji Jalotjot, Ms. Dhanicca Amor Domingo, Ms. Karen Janiya, & Mr. Francis Faderogao of the Center for Strategic Planning and Policy Studies of UP Los Baños College of Public Affairs and Development!

CHE explores community dev’t amidst COVID-19 Even as the pandemic continues to disrupt normal routines, academe is finding ways to continue its research activities and serve communities in the new normal. The College of Human Ecology (CHE) showed how it is responding to the challenge in their mini conference held on Dec. 7 via Zoom. Titled, .....

Thank you, UPLB Research and Extension!

ICYMI: Through a virtual mini-conference, various community-based project teams were able to share their experiences and best practices in implementing their activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mini-conference, organized by the Department of Social Development Services (DSDS) of the UPLB College of Human Ecology (CHE) in partnership with the STC4iD S&T Community-Based for Inclusive Development Program, was held last 07 December 2020.

READ MORE: https://bit.ly/3gKuNOv

✅REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!
👆CLICK this link 👉 https://bit.ly/2KQLc8d or SCAN 📱 the QR Code on the poster.
SEE YOU ALL ON DECEMBER 07, 2020 at 8:30AM(PHT)!!

🤩🤩🤩💯💯💯🧐🧐🧐

📌Learn from our Plenary Speakers and Paper Presenters as they discuss the experiences, challenges, and stories of different community-based projects and programs in times of protracted disruptions to everyday life such as what the COVID-19 pandemic has presented.
📌Be part of the discussion as we share the experiences and challenges brought about by COVID-19 on community-based projects; discuss practical solutions to challenges and problems brought about by protracted disruptions to project/ program timelines; and, document best practices which can be useful for community-based and partnership projects and programs to cope and adapt to unforeseen disruptions and risks in project implementation.