CONTRIBUTING TO FOOD SECURITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN A CHANGING WORLD Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture After two decades

of neglect, and particularly since the recent global food crises, international attention has focused on the need to increase investment in agriculture. The outcomes of recent gatherings of global leaders, including heads of state, indicate a consensus on the need to increase food production to feed a still growing population, but also on the need to ensure sustainability of that increase. Numerous global challenges are affecting the way agricultural production needs to be addressed, today and in the future. Examples of such global challenges include population increases, urbanization, an increasingly degraded environment, an increasing trend towards consumption of animal protein, and of course climate change. Agricultural production systems need to focus more on the effective conservation and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services in order to address the objectives of environmental sustainability and food security. Global challenges and change Agricultural production will need to deal with major challenges over the next 40 years. Production will need to increase by about 70% (although at a declining rate over the period as populations begin to plateau) to cope with population increases and changed demands for meat, dairy and other products. There will be increased competition for land and water from growing urban populations and increased reluctance to see natural landscapes converted to agricultural uses. Phosphorus may well begin to run out by the end of the century and current levels of nitrogen pollution will become unacceptable. Climate change is expected to cause substantial reductions in potential crop production in southern Africa (up to 30% by 2030 for maize production) and South Asia (up to 10% for staples such as rice; declines in millet and maize production could exceed 10%). While crops in mid- to high-latitudes may benefit from a small amount of warming (up to +2C), greater temperature increases will cause declines in production here too. Localized extreme events and sudden pest and disease outbreaks are already resulting in greater unpredictability of production from season to season and year to year and require rapid and adaptable management responses. Agricultural production practices need to change. They need to become increasingly sustainable at the same time as meeting societal goals of access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Recent events have shown that there remains substantial volatility in global food provision and that the degree of food security around the world can change very rapidly. The 2008 food crisis was variously ascribed, inter alia, to reduced stocks as a result of several years of reduced yields caused by extreme weather events and plant diseases in major food crops, the global economic downturn and the transfer of land from crop production to biofuel production. Whatever the causes, the crisis demonstrated how far we are from achieving genuine food security. The world population is expected to grow by over a third, or about 2.3 billion people, between 2010 and 2050. Increases in agricultural productivity will be needed throughout this period, although probably at a declining pace as the rate of population increase slows. Increased demand for meat, dairy, vegetable oils and other products will accompany the need to feed a larger population. Taking all these factors into account, FAO has suggested that global food production will need to increase by about 70% by 2050 relative to production in 2005. Although globally the agricultural food system has the potential to cope with the expected demand from currently cultivated land, given sustainable management and adequate inputs (Fischer et al., 2002), meeting expected demand in particular countries (those with, for example, high population growth rates) or regions will present significant challenges. Land Availability For the last 30 years, the whole worlds crop area increase for 5 million hectares every year. As for Latin America, they are responsible for 35% of the increase. Even there is increase in arable lands, there are still parts that are not being used and distributed unevenly, and the worst part of it is that the greater part of these unused lands is located in South America and the less remaining is in Southern Africa (which where it is needed the most) as of 2002. As viewed by FAO, the most gain in production for about 90% will be achieved by increasing the productivity through increasing the yields and crop intensity, and to achieve this, it is expected that an increase of 70 million hectares of arable land globally. On developing countries, mostly those experiencing poverty in rural areas, they use biomass as their primary source of energy. Because of the potentials of using biomass, it is now debated on how the ratio of consuming of agricultural lands and resources for fuel and food production. However, there are some biofuel production systems like IFES or Integrated Food Energy Systems that provides the means of combining the fuel and food production and adequate biodiversity on the same land.

Food security concerns have seen a rapid increase in demand for land in many regions as some food insecure nations have sought to secure their own food supplies. Major actors involved in land acquisitions include governments and private companies from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; countries with limited natural resources and that are not in biodiversity hotspots. Countries in which land is being purchased, such as Indonesia, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR), Madagascar and Philippines are all located in such hotspots. With the increase in population, the demand on food production also increases. This means that to supply this demand, an increase in agricultural lands is needed. FAO stated that as of 2030, the agricultural land must be increase by 100 million hectares to satisfy the needs of urban population. As for urbanization, it leads on losing of more lands that can be use for agriculture inside and around the cities. This makes the most of production of food takes place in rural areas. So the big population in urban areas makes its government to maintain cheap food policies that will make the people in rural areas to suffer. Not all potential agricultural land is actually productive. The accurate measurement of degraded lands is not known but the Global Assessment of Human Induced Soil Degradation shows a survey that 1964 million hectares of potential agricultural land is degraded. 910 million hectares of it were moderately degraded which means that it can still use for production but not in optimum output while 305 million hectares were strongly degraded or no longer sustainable for agriculture. On some developing countries, the lands were use for salt production and waterlogging. But also the continuous cropping and loss of nutrients through harvesting, soil erosion, leaching or gaseous deplete fertility and cause soil organic matter levels to decline makes the agricultural land to degrade often less than half of the original level.

To reverse the effect of the land degradation, increase in efficiency of the use of natural resources for agriculture is needed. Carefully designed, integrated management practices, such as no-till and conservation agriculture, mixed crop livestock systems with careful manure management, cropping systems with perennial and annual species, responsible use and storage of irrigation water and development of drought-tolerant crops are among the strategies that result in maintenance of year-round soil cover, increased organic matter, improved soil structure and thereby reduced erosion. Water Scarcity Agriculture accounts for about 70% of all water use globally and physical water scarcity is already a problem for more than 1.6 billion people. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity and twothirds of the worlds population could be under water-stress conditions. Over-pumping of groundwater aquifers is a serious concern in many countries throughout the world, especially in China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, and most of the countries in

North Africa and the Middle East. It is estimated that already more than 60% of the worlds rivers are fragmented by hydrological alterations, including dams. Urban and industrial water use, hydropower plants, restoration of streams for recreational use, freshwater fisheries and protection of natural ecosystems are all competing for water resources previously dedicated to agriculture and this competition will intensify. Over the next 40 years agriculture will have to become increasingly efficient in its use of water through improved management of irrigation, the development of cropping and livestock production systems that use water more efficiently, reductions in loss of water from agricultural systems and improved watershed management. Trade-offs in the use of water not only have a large influence on biodiversity on the sector-scale (industry, energy, drinking water, recreation, fisheries, agriculture and natural ecosystems), but within the agricultural sector itself there can also be substantial trade-offs. For example, paddy fields in Asia support a large aquatic biodiversity on which many people depend, but permanent flooded conditions have a negative impact on both methane emissions and environmental water flows needed to maintain healthy ecosystems, such as wetlands. According to the Ramsar definition, wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres. Around half of the worlds wetlands have disappeared since 1900. Wetland agriculture has, over many centuries, significantly contributed to societal well-being in many regions around the world. Wetlands provide a wide range of functions, including providing water for crop production and fisheries and aquaculture, water purification, groundwater recharge, nutrient cycling and flood protection.

Overuse of Nutrients Overuse and mismanagement of mineral fertilizers have polluted groundwater to different degrees in almost all developed countries and, increasingly, in many developing countries. This affects downstream agricultural and natural systems and results in high costs of purification to obtain drinking water. Since 1960, flows of biologically reactive nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems have doubled, and flows of phosphorus have tripled, largely due to efforts to increase food production through fertilizer application. Furthermore, it has been found that only 3050% of applied nitrogen fertilizer and around 45% of phosphorus fertilizer is taken up by crops. The readily available global supply of essential minerals for fertilizers is declining rapidly. Production systems with a lesser dependency on these inputs and wiser management of these resources are needed if agricultural production is to continue to increase sustainably. The use of nitrogen fertilizer, based on the synthesis of ammonia by the Haber-Bosch process, currently represents the largest component of fossil fuel exploitation by agriculture. Since agricultural systems have also been estimated to produce about 60% of global N 2O emissions it would be desirable to find ways of significantly reducing synthetic nitrogen use.

Pollution of water by overuse of agrochemicals in cropping systems has negative impacts on a very large scale and can cause aquatic dead-zones that spread over large areas. International initiatives are being established to improve efficiency in the use of nutrients and thus to reduce their use. One example is the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (GPNM), which was launched in 2010. The GPNM will be a key initiative to help implement the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities that addresses the links between watersheds and coastal systems using an ecosystem management approach. Climate Change Changes in global climate are expected to have considerable effects on agricultural production, although with significant differences across regions. The Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that crop yield losses will occur with minimal warming in the tropics, due to decreased water availability and new or changed insect pest incidence. Southern Africa could lose more than 30% of its main crop, maize, by 2030, while in South

Asia losses of many regional staples, such as rice, millet and maize, could exceed 10%. In contrast, crops in mid to high latitudes may benefit from a small amount of warming (up to +2C) but plant health will eventually decline with additional warming. Fish resources and the fishing industry will also be severely affected, through greater incidence of diseases and algal blooms. Localized extreme events and sudden pest and disease outbreaks are already resulting in greater unpredictability of production from season to season and year to year and require rapid and adaptable management responses. Changes in the availability and distribution of the various components of biodiversity associated with food and agriculture will affect local supplies of raw materials essential for enhancing productivity and ecosystem services. Changes in distribution of pollinators, crops and beneficial and harmful soil organisms may have a profound effect on production and productivity. At the same time the expected loss of cultivated lands due to increased salinization and sea level rise will make the need for more efficient production on remaining cropland ever more urgent. Farmers will need to alter existing agronomic practices, both to adapt to and to mitigate the effects of climate change. Adjustments will involve changes in water use (irrigation), development and use of improved crop varieties and better adapted livestock breeds, alterations to cropping schedules and crop rotations and diversification of production strategies to improve capacity to face risk. There is already considerable evidence that small-scale farmers in traditional farming environments are adapting to climate change, particularly through the use of traditional varieties and the adaptation of traditional farming practices.

Among the ecosystem properties that will be increasingly important for helping agriculture to maintain production in the face of climate change are resilience the ability to revert to a stable equilibrium following shocks and sustainagility the ability to adapt by meeting needs in new ways. Diversity of crops, breeds and diversification of management strategies are the basis of both these ecosystem properties; diversity is traditionally used by farmers as an insurance against risks, including climate related ones. In some cases adoption of alternative types of production may be the only option and the raw materials and resources for change will depend largely on the availability of genetic resources adapted to altered growing conditions and on adoption of practices that make use of these resources. Productivity and sustainability Over the next 40 years there will be a continuing need to develop crop and livestock varieties with innately higher levels of productivity in terms of harvestable and useful products (food, feed, fuels, medicines etc.). While the experience of the last 50 years suggests that this is technically possible, the need to combine productivity increases with improvements in the sustainability of agricultural systems will involve searching for different kinds of solutions; these may be completely new approaches or combinations of existing practices. Elements that are likely to be of particular importance in achieving the sustainable increases in productivity required are the development of appropriate mixes of plant and livestock varieties, avoiding unnecessary use of external inputs, harnessing agro-ecological processes, minimizing use of harmful technologies and harnessing human capital to adapt and innovate and social capital to resolve common landscape-scale problems.

Farming systems Around half of the global population is found in the rural areas of developing countries. Most of the food insecure people in the world (about 70%) live and work in these rural areas. About 50% of developing-country rural populations are smallholders and a further 20% are landless. It is believed that smallholder farms constitute about 85% of all farms. These smallholders (or small-scale farmers) include pastoralists and those dependent on artisanal fisheries and aquaculture. The farming systems are usually complex, diverse and risk prone. These small-scale farmers, more than 1 billion in total, play a central role in the management of agricultural landscapes and the maintenance of agricultural biodiversity in developing countries. Improving food security and reducing poverty over the next decades are therefore inextricably linked. Improvements in farming practices will need to be relevant and appropriate for small-scale farmers if they are to make a genuine difference to the numbers of food insecure. Responses to challenges such as those of climate change, relative declines in rural populations and increased competition for water will need to be relevant to small-scale farmers and to their particular circumstances and concerns. In this context biodiversity for food and agriculture, which is already a central part of their livelihood strategies, is likely to play a key role. Biodiversity is an important regulator of agro-ecosystem functions, also in satisfying a variety of needs of the farmer and society at large. Agro-ecosystem managers, including farmers, can build upon, enhance and manage the essential ecosystem services provided by biodiversity in order to work towards sustainable agricultural production. This can be achieved though good farming practices that follow ecosystem-based approaches designed to improve sustainability of production systems. These should: maintain a high level of crop genetic diversity, both on farms and in seed banks, which will help to increase and sustain production levels and nutritional diversity throughout the full range of different agro-ecological conditions; integrate, through ecosystem-approach strategies, the planned biodiversity that is maintained with the associated diversity (for example, wild pollinators); adopt production system management strategies, such as not disturbing soil, maintaining mulch covers from crop residues and cover crops that increase the biological activity and diversity of the production system; consider the benefits of having fragmented land (riparian areas, forest land within the agricultural landscape) on the agricultural yield, through improved biological processes such as pollination; improve the adaptation of good farming practices that follow ecosystem-based approaches designed to improve the sustainability and agricultural biodiversity of production systems; and aim at producing commodities that meet the consumer needs for products that are of high quality, safe and produced in an environmentally and socially responsible way.

Broader social demands for change There is a growing awareness and appreciation by consumers in many parts of the world of the importance of agricultural practices that produce what they perceive to be healthy and nutritious food. Awareness of how serious environmental degradation has become is far more widespread than in the past and there is a concern over the contribution of agriculture to this environmental damage. Concerns over risks related to the persistence of pesticide residues and antibiotics in food products have existed for many years and are now becoming more powerful, raising health concerns as well as ethical considerations on how food should be produced and agricultural systems managed. There are growing debates over the impact of agriculture on climate change and the ethics of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). There is every reason to expect that the nutritional, health and ethical dimensions of food production will increase in importance over the next decades. Debates about use of agrochemicals, concerns about contamination of products by antibiotics or microorganisms and perceptions about appropriate livestock rearing conditions are all likely to become more rather than less significant and to affect production methods. The trend towards globalization and international trade in food is being increasingly challenged by strong civil society movements, some of which argue for the need to reconnect agriculture and food production to ethical and cultural dimensions to achieve food security with a long-term perspective. The role of biodiversity for food and agriculture in this process is often seen as fundamental: diversity is recognized as the basis for local, possibly forgotten specialties and sustainable food systems that bear a strong connection to cultural diversity. For many rural communities, and particularly indigenous peoples, culture plays a central part in determining the characteristics of their food production systems. Strong local cultures and institutions play a significant role in strengthening both the resilience of local farming systems and their capacity to copy with change in ways that maintain or improve livelihoods. Local food systems are being promoted, in both developed and developing countries, for their capability to deliver environmental, nutritional and, if appropriately supported, economic benefits to communities. The concept of food sovereignty, defined as the right of each nation to maintain and develop its own capacity to produce the staple foods of its peoples, respecting their productive and cultural diversity, often underlies or accompanies the promotion of regional and local food systems.

THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Finding solutions to the food crisis requires a multidimensional approach and should leverage the power of technology and innovation. Governments, the private sector, and civil society should work together in synergy to find immediate as well as medium to long range solutions to the critical issue of making food availability and food security a long-term priority in the developing world. New technologies play a critical role in promoting food security and sustainability by increasing agricultural and food productivity, lowering production and distributions costs, and improving the functioning of markets. Biotechnology, genetic engineering and farm-level technologies for improving crops, fisheries and livestock can help significantly in boosting production. Information and communication technologies (ICT), in particular, can help mitigate the food crisis in the short run and accelerate development in the long run by increasing food production, improving marketing and distribution, and facilitating communication and access to information. ICT can be used as an alarm system to help linking different stakeholders in sharing information and preventing food shortage crises. ICT can create strategic decentralized networks that would link producers, distribution centers and consumers, critical to commercial and non-commercial environments for development. ICT applications can enable the exchange of information about innovations in farming technologies, crop varieties, pest control, manuring, weather forecasting, irrigation and efficient and monitoring methods. Mobile phones, the Internet, satellite-based systems facilitate communications and create opportunities among producers and consumers. ICT can aid in marketing and distribution of agricultural products by linking farmers into regional, national and international trade systems.

ICT offer tremendous opportunities for improving rural livelihood and augmenting agricultural production through better information and communication. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) recommended addressing six areas of action in order to achieve and effective use of ICTs for development in rural areas: establishing appropriate ICT policies; ensuring sustainability; system design; capacity-building; applications development; and research. Digital Green: A Frame work for Agricultural Extension Company: Microsoft Sector: Software & Computer Services Microsofts Digital Green initiative is a research project that brings audio-visual information on new farming trends and techniques to small and marginal farming communities in India. The system improves the efficiency of extension programs by delivering targeted content to a wider audience and enabling farmers to better manage their farming operations with reduced field support. In a four-month trial involving 16 villages (1070 households), Digital Green increased adoption of certain agriculture practices by a factor of six to seven time over classical person-only agriculture extension. Each village was given a TV and DVD-player and one digital camera and PC shared among all 16 villages. Compared to previous efforts, the introduction of the Digital Green system has led to a five-fold increase in number of farmers seeking to apply better agricultural practices. Digital Green aims to scale its system to offer relevant agricultural extension services to a much wider population of farmers. The initiative has created a repository of videos that includes testimonials of progressive farmers, field demonstrations led by agriscientists, interaction between farmers, and market-based opportunities. The library currently contains over 150 locallyproduced videos in the Kannada language. These recordings are shown to individuals on laptops, and communities through the village cable network. One of the main benefits of the Digital Green approach is that the content is local and speaks to the problems specific to the villages. Because the content features both knowledge experts and local farmers, those watching are motivated to adopt a new practice when they see a fellow villager, living in similar circumstances, experience its benefits. The Role of Information and Communication Technology in Fisheries Fishing operations A range of increasingly affordable electronic technologies can be used:

As navigational aids and satellite-enabled communications system such as GPS to mark fishing spots for easy return, saving time and fuel; Once on fishing grounds, fish-finding equipment such as sonar and echo sounders can be employed to locate specific shoals of fish

Increasing safety According to the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers, fishing is probably the most dangerous occupation in the world the tragic consequences of accidents at sea are borne by the fishers dependants and the fishing community at large. ICTs are increasingly being used to ensure safety at sea. Fishers can have access to up-to-date weather information before setting out, through community radio stations, loudspeakers and telecenters collecting broadcasting information. Mobiles and radios also allow better communication with other boats and the shore. Tsunami awareness involves seismic and wave sensors, satellite links and relay centers triggering sirens, radio and other alerts. Empowering fishing communities in owning and communicating information Community radio and participatory video can be used for exchanges between occupational groups or communities to address directly various fishing-related or broader development questions. Low-cost digital cameras and editing equipment can put technology in the hands of local communities, a key step in fostering appropriation of technology use. Successful community radio stations, information centers and telecenters are more than places where ICTs are used and information is accessed. They can serve as hubs as catalyst for a range of learning, mobilization, information and knowledge sharing work in a community. Monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) To address the disruptive impact of illegal fishing, ICTs and electronic fishing technologies are increasingly used to improve monitoring, control and surveillance. The choice of tools depends on the context and the human and technical resources available in many cases capacity-building is required. In addition, some technologies required for MCS may be costly and difficult to implement where there are a large number of vessels or locations to cover. ICTs can be used to support MCS through: Protecting local fishing grounds from poachers, using tools such as GPS, radio and mobile phones to locate and report abuses Direct monitoring of activity in national and regional fishing territories with satellite enabled tools such as the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) used by the European Union and the South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency. Enhancing research to set reasonable quotas feeding into MCS strategies. Promoting education or awareness raising on the need for more responsible or sustainable fishing. Supporting local-level advocacy involving links between telecenters or local community radio stations and civil society groups.

The Role of Information and Communication Technology to Livestock Farming Monitoring Livestock to Prevent Pasture Damage Animal production requires animals to be restrained to a particular location. The cost of installing fences and maintaining them constitutes around 30 percent of the cost of rearing one animal. Controlling animal location implies that farmers need to know about pasture conditions, because overgrazing leads to land erosion and nutrient depletion. Researchers implemented a static and mobile node and camera network to remotely monitor the condition of grass throughout a field. Using solar panels, which generates much higher energy outputs compared to what is needed, the team observed soil moisture, greenness level, grass height and grass coverage.

Pictures of the pasture, troughs, and gates help guide herdsmen in cattle movement. Additional mobile nodes connect directly to the cattle around their necks. These nodes measure the livestocks speed and turning rate, which improves tracking capacity. These technologies allow scientists to build generic models of herd movement so that herdsmen can better manage resources in smaller pastures. *Mainly used in develop countries like Australia Radio Frequency Identification to Prevent and Treat Cattle Disease The Livestock Identification Trace-Back System is one of the largest and more innovative forms of ICT for animal husbandry involving over 300 million cattle. A bolus with a unique ID number and a transponder is inserted into each animals rumen. In the field, 300 fixed readers scan cattle ID numbers and relay information to databases in 46 district offices. The bolus collects information that allows both herdsmen and the government to monitor new registrations, look for possible disease outbreaks, identify lost or stolen cattle, track weight gain, and plan for animal treatments. The database provides the opportunity to monitor trends over time. The bolus is safe for animals, protected from criminal tampering and can be recycled which keeps the costs low. The bolus also saves time and speeds up the identification process. Herdsmen can optimize feeding schedules, select certain cattle for breeding programs, and keep updated health records, which improves productivity directly by reducing susceptibility to disease and planning or yields. *This is implemented by Inala Identification Control (IIC) in South Africa.

FOOD SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PHILIPPINES Environmental Sustainability Issues in Philippine Agriculture Farming and fishing are major sources of livelihood in rural households in the Philippines. Farming systems in the country are complex, multi-faceted, and geared to promote efficient production and a steady source of income. However, these have also wrought unwanted consequences on the environment, notably soil erosion, water pollution, groundwater depletion, loss of natural habitats, and loss of biological diversity. Farming systems are affected by exogenous environmental factors; in turn, the farming systems also affect agricultural production resource bases. Initiatives from various sectors to mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of farming systems and to protect the agricultural production bases are in place in terms of policies, programs, and action projects. The details of the distribution by crop and hectarage are as follows: Table 1. Land utilization Land Utilization Arable lands, cereals, sugar cane Crops mixed with coconuts Coconut plantations Crops mixed with other plantations Area (Million Ha) 4.3923 3.7478 1.1326 0.3652 0.1952 0.0908 0.0101 Percent 39.45 33.66 10.17 3.28 1.75 0.82 0.09 10.78 100.00

Fishponds from mangroves Other plantations Other fishponds Grasslands

1.2000 11.134

Total

Over the years, the Philippines changes in agricultural land use can be gleaned in relation to the changes in forest areas. The forest cover in the country has been continually decreasing over the years, from 26% in 1970 to only 18% in 2000 (Table 2). This implies that forest land conversion into other land uses such as agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial uses have been very rapid in the last three decades. Table 2. Changes in forest and agricultural lands, Philippines Year 1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 Forest Area Area (million ha) 10.9 7.4 6.2 5.6 5.4 Agricultural Lands Area (million ha) 36 25 21 19 18 8.95 12.16 13.10 13.09 11.50

Percent

Percent 30 41 44 42 38

Environmental Impact Assessment of Philippine Farming Systems The major concerns of the Philippine agricultural sector revolve around the urgency for: (a) increased production to sustain the food needs of the growing population (or food security), (b) employment generation to meet the 10-point agenda of the government, and (c) greater global competitiveness. Along the path to achieving these goals, however, the country must also contend with the threat to the sustainability of the croplands and fishery resources. Agricultural intensification, for example, as practiced especially in corporate, large-scale farms, has solved certain problems of low production but, at the same time, it has also created environmental and social problems. Table 3 summarizes the effects of agricultural practices and farming systems on the Philippine environment. The Philippines croplands are presently under severe environmental stress: prime or productive agricultural lowlands and alluvial plains are rapidly shrinking and the decreasing man-land ratio has led the landless to occupy and cultivate ecologically unstable marginal lands. Such practice has resulted in the severe degradation of the agricultural resource base, with subsequent problems of accelerated soil erosion, siltation of irrigation systems, intense flooding, and water pollution. Table 3. Effect of agricultural practices and farming systems on Philippine environment Some Environmental Problems Created Soil erosion, energy dependency, labor reduction Ground water contamination, pests, soil and water pollution New pests, resistance to pests, water pollution, human poisoning, chemical dependency Aggravated pest problems, loss of local adaptations, chemical dependency, high input expenses Accelerated soil erosion Deforestation, accelerated soil erosion, sedimentation of river systems, biodiversity loss

Farming System Practice Mechanization of land preparation, planting and harvesting Intensive use of inorganic nitrogenous fertilizer Continuous and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides Planting of hybrids and genetically narrow varieties Reduction of fallow periods of shifting cultivation areas Cultivation of fragile, marginal upland areas

Problem Addressed

Labor inefficiency

Low crop yield

Crop loss to pests Low crop yield and non uniform traits Low production

Inadequacy of land for farming

Soil Erosion Soil erosion problems in the Philippines are quite pronounced due to the geographic and climatic conditions that are aggravated by improper cultivation practices. Two-thirds of the countrys total land area are hilly and mountainous, making these areas susceptible to soil erosion (DENR). Soil erosion inflicts on agriculture a number of negative direct impacts and side-effects, namely: low crop productivity, reduction of the capacity of water conveyance structures, destruction of wildlife habitat, and destruction of standing crops. Chemical Pollution from Farming Practices Farming systems in the Philippines during the past few years can be generally characterized by intensive farm production using inorganic fertilizers and pesticides. While production inputs offer advantages in terms of increased crop production and protection, there are certain negative externalities involved in their use. Over-utilization of these inputs decreases the soils humus content, which adversely affects its infiltration and water-holding capacities. The loss of these two vital soil characteristics, in turn, makes the soil loose and more susceptible to erosion. Inorganic Fertilizer There are ecological problems associated with chemical fertilizer use. Excessive use of this input is known to cause acidification of the soil. Acid soils are vulnerable to erosion because of the characteristic low electrolyte levels in the soil solution.

The contamination of drinking water with nitrate concentration greater than 45 parts per million (ppm) can cause metheglobinemia, a disease which affects both livestock and human infants (Rola 1990). Another health hazard results when nitrates in the food or in the digestive system combine with protein to form nitrosoamines which are carcinogenic. Pesticide The use of pesticide as a crop protection agent has many negative effects. One effect is the health hazards it poses to farmer-users. Loevensohns (1987) study showed that the widespread use of pesticides by farmers in Central Luzon was followed by a 27% increase in deaths among them from causes other than physical injury. An average of 503 cases of pesticide poisoning, of which 15% died every year, had been reported from 1980 to 1988. Conversion of Prime Agricultural Lands into Other Land Uses As an offshoot of the constant government urgings to attract foreign investments, to generate more employment opportunities, and to decongest major population centers, thousands of hectares of agricultural lands across the country have been, and are being, converted into other land uses. In the process, vast fertile agricultural lands go to waste as they are converted to non-agriculture land uses, while environmentally critical, marginal areas have been opened up for agricultural purposes. Landless farmers dislocated from lowland communities usually encroach on forestlands where they practice lowland agricultural practices that further cause resource degradation as shown in Table 2. Loss of Genetic Diversity (Biodiversity) The Philippines is one of the countries with the highest number of species of plants and animals per unit area [Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (PAWB-DENR)]. The primary issue besetting the countrys biodiversity is related to habitat alteration, which results from land use changes that reduce the area of natural conditions. Wherever clearings, settlements, and agricultural activities are established, species are displaced and this has consequences on the ecological balance. Although the country is home to an extraordinary variety of life forms, its biodiversity is also faced with problems and threats. Forest cover has been drastically reduced; only about 5% of coral reefs remain in excellent condition; seagrass beds and mangrove areas have been lost. It has been estimated that about 50% of national parks are no longer biologically important (PAWB). The present orientation of Philippine agriculture towards more extensive use of monoculture and uniform strains erodes the genetic potential of local and indigenous crops. Intensification of Livestock and Poultry Farming Changes in the demand for food have also had their impact on poultry and livestock farming. As incomes rise, the demand for meat and meat products also tends to increase, triggering an intensified poultry and livestock farming. But there are associated environmental issues that arise in the wake of intensified poultry and livestock production.

Animal Waste Management Intensification of animal production causes environmental problems. In the disposal of manure produced by farm animals, a high proportion of mineral and nutrient content is released, thereby increasing the risks of polluting the water systems, by affecting river and coastal fisheries and thereby posing a threat to the supply of clean drinking water. The smells coming from manure affect the living and working environment of the local population and have had adverse effects on recreation and tourism in the areas. The raising of animals in artificial conditions also creates the need to produce feeds, usually in the form of cereals and fish meal concentrates, putting more pressure not only on agricultural production but also on the fishing industry. In confined spaces, animals become susceptible to the spread of disease, and feed is often supplemented by medicines which persist in manure and water, and add to the problems of waste disposal. A study conducted by Alcantara et al. (1996) indicates that the pollution loading of the Laguna Lake from swine and poultry farms comprises 3,944 t/year of nitrogen and 1,314 t/year of phosphorous. These chemicals contribute to the eutrophication of the Lake. Animal waste management in confined system can be properly addressed by installing wastewater treatment facilities. However, this may be too costly for small livestock growers.

Grazing Philippine grasslands are rapidly expanding, which is the result of forest degradation that gives rise to open lands where grass species establish and dominate. Grasslands, an important resource for the livestock industry, can support only one or two animals per hectare, which may lead to low meat production. As shown in Table 4, the Philippines has 900,000 ha of open grasslands in 2004 which represents 3% of the countrys total land area. The dominant species is cogon (Imperatacylindrica) which covers 30 to 80% of the natural grassland vegetation in the Philippines. Overstocking may result in overgrazing, the disappearance of desirable range species, growth of weeds, and soil erosion. The recommended ecologically sound stocking rate for Philippine grasslands is one animal or cattle for every two hectares of land.

WHAT IS AQUACULTURE? Aquaculture is commonly defined as the active cultivation (maintenance or production) of marine and freshwater aquatic organisms (plants and animals) under controlled conditions. This definition encompasses a broad range of operations, cultivating a wide variety of organisms, using a wide variety of production systems and facilities. A common attribute of all aquaculture systems is the use of water as the medium for cultivation. Aquaculture systems must provide a constant supply of sufficiently clean and oxygenated water to support the cultivated organisms, and must carry away deoxygenated water and wastes. Systems that hold organisms within open, natural water bodies (suspended cages, net pens, or racks) rely on natural water circulation or dispersion to accomplish this water "turnover." Wastes released from these systems are not collected or managed. Closed systems employing ponds and tanks, on the other hand, must manage the supply and condition of water in the system, and must remove and manage wastes, largely consisting of wastewater. PHILIPPINE AQUACULTURE Overview

Over the last three decades, the global aquatic systems have been subjected to massive pressures from fishing and other types of fishery resources exploitation with indicative fall of the marine capture production and an evident growth in aquaculture. This can be seen from Figure 1which is provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations or simply FAO. Worldwide per capita fish consumption nearly doubled from about 8kgs in the early 1950s to about 15.8 kgs in 1999. Fish exports from developing countries have surpassed traditional export crops such as sugar, beverages, and meat. According to FAO, net foreign exchange earnings from fisheries by developing countries rose from $5.1 billion in 1985 to $16.4 billion in 1996 (FAO,1999). At present, the fisheries sector in most developing countries continue to exhibit steady growth in production, consumption, and trade. Technological advances in aquaculture, changes in legal and institutional regimes and market demands have contributed to the changing structure of supply and demand patterns for fisheries products in both developing and developed countries. Since our country is an archipelago, the fisheries sector is vital to the economy in providing substantial employment and income, contributing export earnings and meeting local demand for the protein requirement of the populace. While there is a positive growth rate in fisheries production from the year 2000, which is steadily increasing, the sector still needs to maintain a delicate balance between the requirements of increased production to contribute to food security against the need to conserve and protect the fishery resource for long-term sustainability. A more focused, specific, and comprehensive analyses of production, farming systems, aquaculture technologies, and markets are needed in order to guide policies and ensure benefits for the resource-poor fish farmers and the assurance of food safety and quality. The much needed policy reforms that will support and improve environment-friendly fisheries

technologies albeit resource-poor fish farmers can help increase their welfare through sustained production, globally competitive, and safe for human consumption. Addressing these pressing needs to meet the local and global demands in aquaculture production, the Philippines over time have initiated policy and management changes to adapt with the ever changing market demand driven trends. Owing to the long experience from the past, the paradigm shift from resource exploitation to sustainable production paved way in the innovative transformation of eco-friendly fish farming technologies suited to meet the socio-economic, environmental-ecological, trade and food safety requirements of the end-users and consumers. Current Situation of Aquaculture in the Philippine Economy Aquaculture has a long history in the Philippines, starting with the traditional, low density culture of milkfish in ponds and evolving into more sophisticated technology based systems for the culture of various species of fish, shrimps, mollusks and seaweeds. Aquaculture in the Philippines, began as early as the 14th century, though its importance was recognized only in the 1940s, when it produced about 20,000 tons (Yap, 1999). The sector has since grown dramatically and continued to show a rapid growth during the last decade (Figure 2). From 1997 to 2003, fish production from aquaculture grew at anaverage of 8% per year. In 2005, aquaculture production continued to improve, with the volume of aquatic products reaching 4.16 million t (BFAR, 2006).

In terms of commodities, seaweeds contributed 70.17% to aquaculture production in 2005, followed by milkfish (15.93%), tilapia (8.5%) and tiger shrimp (2.09%). The rest are shared by minor commercially farmed shells and finfishes. It involves fish pens, cages and ponds in fresh and marine waters and the mariculture of oysters, mussels and seaweeds (Figure 3).

The Philippines ranks amongst the top fish producing countries in the world (FAO, 2005). In 2001, it ranked 11th with a total production of 3.17 million metric tons of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and seaweeds. The Philippines is the second biggest producer of seaweeds contributing to 0.7 million tons or 7.4% of world production of 10.5 million ton, second to China in the world production of tilapia and first among the Asian producers of milkfish (Figure 4). In 2002, the fisheries industry contributed to 2.2% and 4.1% of gross domestic product in current and constant prices, respectively.

The fisheries industry provides employment to around 1 million people or 5% of countrys labor force. Around 26% of these people are engaged in aquaculture, 68% in municipal and small scale fisheries and 6% in commercial fisheries. Out of the total fisheries production in 2005, aquacultures contributed highest share of 46% followed by commercial and municipal fisheries at 27% each (Figure 5). Amongst all the fisheries sub-sectors, aquaculture registered the highest growth rate of 8.7% in 2003 compared to the previous year. Overall fishery sector growth in 2003 was 7.4% compared to 6.5% in the year 2002 showing substantially higher growth rates than the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP 2001-2004) targets of 4.8% and 3.2 %, respectively. Total fishery production increased at an average annual rate of 2.5% between 1990 and 2002. Most of this increase was brought about by large increases in aquaculture production (more than 6% annual production increase over this period).There have been modest increases in commercial capture fisheries (2.5% per year increase over the period).

The aquaculture sub-sector has been identified in the MTPDP 20042010 as a sector for increased growth for job creation and food security in support of the countrys drive towards economic development. This growth may be attained by increasing production intensity as well as diversifying existing commodities and fishery farms as well as expanding fisheries production in inland waters. With the current focus on conservation and sustainable management of marine resources, it is possible that the contributions of the municipal and commercial sectors to total fish production will decline in the coming years, leaving aquaculture as the sub-sector to absorb the countrys ever growing demand for fish and making it potentially the most important contributor to the countrys food security and poverty alleviation agenda.

In recent years, small-scale aquaculture has been introduced in many parts of the country, which made important contribution to income generation and employment of the rural poor. Based on the 2000 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) of the National Statistics Office, the highest incidence of poverty (62%) was found among the agricultural, fishing and forestry sector. The income-generating potential created by growing domestic demand and expanding international market for fish are most promising opportunities for rural poverty reduction. The fisheries contribution to the countries Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2004 is shown if Figure 6. The sector has potential to supply products for both domestic and export markets. However, the full development of the aquaculture sector has yet to be accomplished in view of a variety of problems ranging from the lack of availability of high-quality brood stock/fry/fingerlings, inadequate aquaculture training and extension, limited access of credit by the small farmers, high input costs, data gaps, post harvest support facilities, local and international market access constraints, lack of private sector participation, food safety and quality constraints, lack of aquaculture information management system, inadequate regulatory framework, lack of focused research and protocol, improvement in aquaculture planning, zoning and environmental degradation, etc. Aquaculture Structure and Production Aquaculture in the Philippines is categorized according to environment, farming system, farming technology and production scale. Aquaculture according to Environment Aquaculture according to environment are classified basically in terms of water type or source categorized into freshwater, brackishwater and mariculture (Table 1).

Freshwater aquaculture utilizes the major lakes, rivers, reservoirs, dams, small-water impoundments, catch basins, rice paddies, and land-based ponds. Brackishwater aquaculture utilizes inter-tidal zones, mangrove swamps and estuarine areas. Mariculture utilizes coastal waters.

Aquaculture according to Farming System The farming system varies according to the cultured commodity species and the water source. Freshwater species commonly cultured are tilapia, carp, catfish, snakeheads, the euryhaline milkfish and most recently, the freshwater prawn. Ornamental aquarium fish production also falls under this farming category. Farming system varies from fish corrals/pens, fish tanks, fish cages, earthen ponds to hapa net in ponds for hatchery ( Table 2).

Mangrove swamp areas along the intertidal zone occupies a huge converted portions into brackishwater fishponds in the Philippines which draws most of the water source both from the sea and rivers The most dominant fish cultured in brackishwater are milkfish and shrimp. Mudcrab and grouper were recently introduced in commercial scale to maximize utilization of the ponds. Aqua-silviculture and fishpen farming system are also done. Seawater-based farming is mainly categorized into three commodity sectors: shellfish culture, finfish farming and the seaweed culture. Shellfishes such as oysters and mussels are normally grown by stake or hanging methods using bamboo poles and ropes same with the seaweed farming except that the latter utilizes different plot design. Finfishes on the other hand are mostly reared in fixed pen enclosures and floating net cages.

Aquaculture according to Farming Technology Aquaculture according to farming technology is basically mono-culture based regardless of water source and farming system for the various species cultured. However, polyculture also occurs in freshwater environment (Table 3).

Aquaculture according to Production Scale Aquaculture according to production scale can be classified as intensive, semiintensive and extensive production depending on stocking density of fish frys and amount of feeds given to the fish (Table 4).

Philippine aquaculture has strong potential for further expansion and development in view of the availability of vast resources: 338,393 ha of swampland, 14,531 ha of freshwater fishponds, 239,323 ha of brackishwater fishponds, 200,000 ha of lakes, 31,000 ha of rivers and 19,000 ha of reservoirs. The 2005 aquaculture production by culture system and environment are summarized in Table 5. Philippine aquaculture statistics indicate culture of 18 species, of which 8 species besides seaweeds contribute substantially to the total production (Table 6). The major commodities are seaweed, milkfish, tilapia, shrimp, mussel, carp, catfish, mudcrab and oyster. In addition, there are some other commodities such as crab, siganids, grouper, seabass, etc., that hold potential for development. In 2004, seaweed contributed the most to the aquaculture production in terms of volume (70% ), but 11.7% in terms of value.

In summary, there exists some forty one (41) known fish farming techniques which are traditionally and currently being practiced in the country from small to medium scale of investments up to the commercial intensive and modern aquaculture technology. Legal Framework for Aquaculture Aquaculture in the Philippines is governed by three major laws of the land: the Republic Act (RA) 8550 (Fisheries Code of 1998), RA 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991) and RA 8435 (Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997). These major laws are intricating and often results to conflicts of interpretation and implementation by the agencies concerned mostly affecting the stakeholders. While the laws itself addresses to particular concerns of the sectors in the aquaculture industry, several provisions and implementing guidelines within the context of each law are either interpreted as a duplications or contradictory with each other. The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (RA 8550) highlights conservation, protection and sustained management of fishery and aquatic resources, poverty alleviation and provision of supplementary livelihood, improvement of aquaculture productivity, optimal utilization of offshore and deep-sea resources, and upgrading of post-harvest technology, It is primarily intended for management and utilization of fishery resources by Filipinos, that is, toward maintenance and sustainability of the resources and their productivity for local use and consumption. It is only partly concerned with industrialization or modernization, and concentrates on the establishment of a regulatory and administrative structure for the sector. The Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 (AFMA) on the other hand is geared toward industrialization and full employment based on sound agricultural development and agrarian reform and promotes the utilization of national resources in the most efficient and sustainable way possible by establishing more equitable access to assets, income, basic support services and infrastructure,. It is directed toward the modernization of the fisheries sector by transforming it into a technology-based industry with a high degree of horizontal and vertical integration and able to compete in the global market by producing more and better value-added products. While the Fisheries Code and AFMA hold in priority the attainment of food security, rational use of resources, and sustainable development, the Local Government Code of 1991 is primarily aimed at devolving the legislative powers of national government in favour of the local cities and municipalities who administers and do the actual management of their own resources. The LGU code is designed to implement national laws and regulations at the local levels by virtue of ordinances. They were also granted the licensing jurisdiction granted them over all fishery privileges within their territorial jurisdiction, particularly in cases of aquaculture with the use of fish pens, cages, traps, and other structures for the culture of fish and other fishery products. In addition and corollary with the above mentioned laws, there are other national related laws enacted by regulatory agencies affecting the aquaculture policy governance, such as the National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) RA 7586 of 1992 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of the Department of Agrarian Reform. All other implementable laws and regulations governing the Fisheries Code of the Philippines are expressed in a series of Fisheries Administrative Orders (FAOs) duly promulgated by BFAR as lead fisheries regulatory agency of the government.

Successful Cases of Technology Utilization and Adoption in Fish Farms To address the ever-growing poverty alleviations, hunger and malnutrition issues of the rural fisherfolks in the fish faming and fishing communities, the government has also shifted its policy program focused from aquaculture development to aquaculture for rural development giving emphasis on identifying projects in aquaculture which are dubbed as pro-poor (Lopez, 2005b) and promoting livelihood projects to rural communities which are low in investments, less in inputs with high yields of productivity in terms of the resources utilized. Among these projects are the aquisilviculture in the mangrove protected areas, skyponds in the upland areas and the ornamental fish breeding and hatcheries in backyards, Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP) in inland areas and the family enterprise seaweeds nursery-grow-out projects in coastal marine waters. Also in order to maximize the use of unutilized parcel of idled lands in the cities and municipalities, the BFAR launched the Urban Aquaculture Program consisting mostly of elevated tanks set-up in communities, stocked with GETExcel tilapia, catfish and other marketable freshwater species. One of the most recent but controversial technology adoption that was lately introduced in the country is the entry of Penaeus. vannamei which has drawn criticisms in the farming community due to its acceptability, but was well screened through the Import Risk Analysis (IRA) process. The introduction of this species which followed mostly the trend and experience of other Asian countries passed the most stringent importation procedures, observance of international and regional protocols, local quarantine and health screening, series of public consultations, and research and development (R&Ds) to successfully breed and grow the individual under domestic conditions to produce an Specific Pathogen Free and Specific Pathogen Resistance (SPF and SPR) strains intended for local and export markets. To date, the acquisitions of the broodstock, seedlings, and the hatchery, nursery, grow-out management on its commercial production are guided by a specific fish farming protocols. Emerging Needs and Future Directions Among the priority thrusts that the aquaculture sector needs to be addressed by the government are: 1. Aquaculture HACCP standard requirements of importing countries which were not only found to be too much stringent and costly for an ordinary fish farmer to comply but that the standards imposed to farm level management kept on changing over time. HACCP in aquaculture is a new process with an old principle but that the way it has to be implemented as far better more complicated than what is now being imposed in the postharvest HACCP system. It does not only simply start with the traceability in the maximum residual limits (MRL) but has to follow trace abilities in the feeds and other farm inputs administered from the hatchery to the grow-out period, the quality of seeds and stocks which should beSPF/SPR and disease free, properly eco-labeled and following certification and accreditation procedures based on existing BAPs guidelines; Environmental Management of Aquaculture Resources which is a key to mitigating the continuous degradation and self-pollution of the farmed resources resulting to massive fish kills of cultured species affecting both the quality of the armed fishes and the production areas; Pro-poor Aquaculture and Sustainability in order to provide more jobs and avoid migrations of the poor sector of the industry and to sustain the balance of resource exploitation in traditionally farmed areas, there is a need to address poverty alleviation and sustainability in equal manner as credit facilities and carrying capacities; Hatchery Development and Commercial Production of High-value Species is a step forward to augment scarcities and assurance of continuous production of quality seed supply rather than relying to the wild stocks. Development of hatchery technologies is in fact an indicator of a progressive aquaculture development in commercial scale operation. Targeting high-valued species as Taiwan and Indonesia are currently engaged in is one factor in aquaculture that has to be addressed to support commercialization and aquaculture product line enterprising; and The increasing cost of production and farm inputs are among the current and perennial issues in all forms of aquaculture practices besetting the industry.

2.

3.

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Compared to the production cost in Thailand, Taiwan and other Asian aquaculture producing countries, the Philippines has the highest ratio of cost of inputs versus the product outputs in its farm gate price. The emerging issues as above elucidated are the focus of future interventions as expected to be addressed by the present aquaculture strategic studies under the ADB technical assistance (ADTA, 2006), and as further drafted in the proposed Comprehensive National Fisheries Integrated Development Plan (CNFIDP) for the next ten (10) years (BFAR, 2005) as follows:

 Research and development in aquaculture centered on polyculture and production of hatchery bred high value-species; Institutional management, policy and economic studies; Review and amendments to the Fisheries Code and relevant Fisheries Administrative Orders; Involvement and governance of the Local Government Units; Strengthening capability building and Information and Educational Campaign (IEC) thru training and extension; Adherence to the code of practice for responsible aquaculture; More jobs generated (forward and backward support services) Observance to aquaculture HACCP on food safety and quality.

SAMPLE RESEARCHES CONCERNING THE ATTAINMENT OF FOOD SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PHILIPPINES Integrated Approach to Improve Cattle Production using Indigenous Resources and Conserving the Environment by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute Project Leader: Celia O. Asaad PNRI has been helping dairy cattle farmers in improving the breeding and nutritional management of dairy cattle through radioimmunoassay (a nuclear technique of measuring reproductive hormone) and the use of urea molasses mineral block UMMB) as food supplement. PNRI is also conducting a study to decrease discharges of selected nutrients from cattle manure (nitrogen and phosphorus) into the environment by utilizing cattle excretion products in improving soil fertility and increase crop yield. Animal manure is an important natural resource in a sustainable livestock-crop farming system. Integrating manure as a fertilizer, into crop production is considered to be the primary mechanism for manure management and disposal. 15 N, a stable isotope, is being used to assess the available nutrients in the manure, and calculating the appropriate application rates to ensure that the nutrient needs for the crop are met.

Evaluation of Nile Tilapia Strains for Aquaculture in the Philippines

A project working to find new, beneficial strains of Nile tilapia in the Philippines is expected to offer a boon to the tilapia farming industry there. Non-profit research group Worldfish, together with Central Luzon State Universitys Freshwater Aquaculture Center and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Researches, have led the project, Evaluation of Nile Tilapia Strains for Aquaculture in the Philippines, which is now beginning its second year. The goal of the project is to develop and make available the best strain of Nile tilapia for the industry, said Dr. Tereso Abella, director of the university center. We want the product of this research project widely disseminated to both large and small-scale tilapia farmers but higher priority will be given to small scale tilapia farmers to improve their production, and the quality of their lives. Exploring new tilapia strains has already shown some success in Africa, according to the results of a similar Worldfish project going on there. Nile tilapia is the most cultured freshwater fish in the Philippines, and has driven an industry that remains a major part of the Philippine economy. Developing better strains, Abella said, will go a long way toward improving the lives of local fishermen, and providing a greater food source to the country. Tilapia in the Philippines is the fish of yesterday, the fish of today and the fish of tomorrow, Abella said. It is the peoples fish because its readily available, accessible and affordable to every ordinary Filipino. Improved Cost Effectiveness and Sustainability of Aquaculture in the Philippines and Indonesia North Carolina State University Principal Investigator(s): Russell Borski (US Lead Project PI); Remedios B. Bolivar (Host Country Lead PI; Philippines); Hassan Hasanuddin (Host Country Lead PI; Indonesia) Co-Principal Investigator(s): Kevin Fitzsimmons (US); Evelyn Grace T. De Jesus-ayson (Philippines); Remedios B. Bolivar, Hassan Hasanuddin (Indonesia) The project will develop and implement strategies to improve the cost effectiveness and sustainability of fish farming in the Philippines and Indonesia, and subsequently improve the livelihood of their people. Project investigations will assess key areas of research and extension that include methods to reduce farming costs for tilapia and milkfish, a marketing analysis to address the opportunities and constraints of expanding tilapia culture to fillet production for the export markets, development of a tilapia podcast as an emerging extension tool for the farming community of Central Luzon, and integration of polyculture for sustainable aquaculture in the Philippines and the tsunami-devastated Aceh region of Indonesia. Extension activities will provide five workshops and train approximately 30 students. The proposed project investigations incorporate specialists from Central Luzon State University, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC AQD), Ujung Batee Aquaculture Center, North Carolina State University, University of Arizona, their collaborators, and the farming communities of the host country.

Swine Respiratory Project

The ACIAR-PCAARRD Swine Respiratory Project, or the ACIAR-PCAARRD Project on Improved Investigation, Diagnosis and Technical Support for the Control of Respiratory Diseases of Pigs in the Philippines and Australia, is a partnership initiative between the Philippine Government and the Commonwealth of Australia to promote efficient surveillance and diagnosis of swine respiratory diseases. Respiratory disease outbreaks, which have resulted to losses in the Philippine and Australian swine sectors, are considered as major challenges in maintaining high productivity. In support of industry targets that would specifically address issues attributed to respiratory diseases, the project was created with funding support from ACIAR and PCAARRD. To achieve its goal, the project works with government institutions and the private sector in the local swine industry to conduct research, training and knowledge transfer. The University of Queensland (UQ) was commissioned to implement the Project in Australia while in the Philippines, PCAARRD coordinates the projects implementation to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), and the Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Unit 3 (RADDL DA-RFU 3). The provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga are the focal sites where strategic research and research results utilization will be implemented. The Central Luzon State University (CLSU) and the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) are also partners in the development of diagnostic kits using the loop-mediated isothermal amplification method or LAMP. Its Advisory Committee comprise of experts and professionals working in the Philippine swine industry and relevant agencies of the government were formed to provide guidance on relevant industry issues and support in stakeholder advocacy. A Device for Monitoring and Regulating Gaseous Ammonia in Confined Animal Production Facilities A student who won in the 22nd Bank of the Philippine Islands-Department of Science and Technology (BPI-DOST) Science Awards in a special program on March 8 at the Makiling Botanic Gardens Pavilion at the College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Barker, a BS Agricultural Engineering student, was recognized for his research project "A Device for Monitoring and Regulating Gaseous Ammonia in Confined Animal Production Facilities." His research aimed to develop a device that could detect, control, and regulate gaseous ammonia concentrations in confined animal production facilities through a control measure such as a ventilation system. According to Barker, "the study has the potential to economically benefit the animal production industry by reducing animal and worker health costs related to ammonia exposure." His thesis adviser is CEAT Dean Arsenio N. Resurreccion.

PigTracker

The Danish Agriculture & Food Council conducted a three-year pilot at five farms to learn how well EPC passive UHF tags performed for tracking pigs. Jan. 19, 2012The Danish Agriculture & Food Council's Pig Research Center is reviewing the results of a three-year pilot that tested ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID technology to track pigs from a few weeks after they are born until they are sold or received at a slaughterhouse. The project, known as PigTracker, included five Danish pig breeders, with up to 3,000 animals receiving RFID ear tags at each location. The PigTracker pilot, according to Niels Peter Baadsgaard, a veterinarian serving as the research center's chief scientist for veterinary research and development, found that UHF technology read tags at a higher rate than was achieved using low-frequency (LF) tags (the type of RFID technology more commonly utilized for animal tracking), and was also less expensive. The project was funded by the Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. Each farm was equipped with several fixed Impinj readerssome utilized two portals, while others used three. In each case, the fixed readers and antennas were mounted on ceilings or walls in the hallways through which pigs pass while moving from one area to another, such as from the farrowing unit (birthing area) to the weaning unit, or out of the facility to be sent to the slaughterhouse. Every time that a pig passed under the antenna, its tag ID was read, and that information was transmitted via a wired connection to the back-end software, where the tag ID was linked to the event: the pig's movement from one unit to another, along with its health and historical details.