"PH, Why Invest More In R&D" – William Dar, Secretary Of Agriculture. "UP, There's More To R&D Than R&D!" – Frank A Hilario

The image above is from the cover of the 2019 edition of the book by Dr William Dar, who is now PH Secretary of Agriculture, the "Dr" for his PhD (Horticulture) from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, UPLB. The book is titled The Way Forward and subtitled Level Up Philippine Agriculture – published by the PH Bureau of Agricultural Research, BAR, 256 pages; thank you, BAR. It is a collection of his regular columns in the Manila Times.

I have just received my copy sent via the Office of the DA Spokesperson Noel 0 Reyes, thank you, Noel. It wasn't I but my wife Ampy who noted the 2 major colors used on the book cover: green and maroon – the colors of UP! Thank you, my dear, because now I can equate those 2 colors with research and development, R&D, of which William Dar as author himself says in the Introduction:

This sequel places emphasis on harnessing research and development (R&D) for agriculture, and creating agripreneurs.

The author has 8 key messages (Times column of 12 January 2018), that R&D must:

1st: Increase in investments following increasing population
2nd: Be entrepreneurial.
3rd: Address sustainability more effectively.
4th: Focus on smallholder farmers and fishers & their families.
5th: Be in partnership with local government units, NGOs, SCUs, foreign entries and private sector.
6th: Generate data, information and knowledge.
7th: Look at baseline issues for better decision-making.
8th: Lead to "capacity development as its legacy."

Note in my title above, I say, "UP, There's More To R&D Than R&D!" My alma mater, UPLB, has been doing earnest research for the last 100 years since its founding in 1909, but we have hardly heard of this or that new or improved technology or system with the trademark UPLB. And I am a wide reader.

You know why UPLB is largely Anonymous when it comes to the science of PH Agriculture? Because UPLB – not to mention the rest of the UP System – has not been inclined & inspired & industrious enough to disseminate its own findings, first to scientists here and abroad, and next to the Filipino people themselves, especially the farmers and their families – to disseminate via known media: print, radio, TV.

Today, I would prefer that UPLB disseminate mostly via digital media, something known popularly as knowledge bank, but whose promise has been only 10% fulfilled by either the domestic PhilRice or the international IRRI itself, specifically on rice.

I know all that personally because I have been in and out of the Los Baños Science Community in the last 60 years.

Since I'm a digital writer and editor, I am willing to personally demonstrate to the UP System how all 8 concerns of Secretary Dar could be addressed via several forms of digital media, at minimal expense. I could do it in a full-day seminar-workshop – free of charge.

Science should be continuously disseminated so that it can continuously be applied by those who need it most!@517